Remember
by Michiko-Sakura
Summary: Itachi and Sakura found their happily ever after after much struggles and challenges. Here is a story how they began and their journey...the moments where they shared the pains and happiness of growing up, of finding love together and finding heartbreak, and ultimately...the accident that cost everything (the past and future of the story, Remember To Choose Me)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, I was a little surprised with some of the review of my other story,** _ **Remember To Choose Me.**_ **Someone posted about wanting to know what happened to Mika (I wish I knew that name but the review was only signed as 'Guest'), while someone wished that it was a little longer (GingerLily01).** **So, I got thinking about writing a supplemental story. Don't worry, GingerLily01, I plan to stretch it out to a few chapters.**

 **Michiko**

REMEMBER

 _Itachi pulled the blanket over his sleeping son and kissed his little head. As he straightened out, he looked over to the rocking chair where his wife was softly singing a lullaby to their daughter, who was in-between consciousness and sleep after her bottle._

 _The little girl felt warm and comfortable in the loving arms of her mother. Her eyes that were as green as her mother's slowly closed as she burrowed further in her mother's bosom and she fell into a deep sleep like her brother._

 _Itachi knelt beside them and laid a gentle hand on his daughter's back. Seiko seemed more content as a small smile was seen on her lips. Both parents shared a look._

 _When Sakura felt that all was right with Seiko, she motioned to get up. Itachi offered his hand to help her up, which she took before she carefully settled the sleeping baby in her crib beside her brother's._

" _Good night, Seiko-chan. Sleep well and know that you are loved." She whispered before doing to same to her son._

 _Sakura then stood beside Itachi in between the cribs. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he laid his arm around her shoulders pulling her close. They watched their children sleep. It had been less than a week since they had all gone home from the hospital._

 _Their families were constant visitors in their new house during the mornings. Both grandmothers came over to help Sakura take care of the twins as she continued with her recovery._

 _After returned from Europe, Itachi had insisted on coming with Sakura during her first check up. When he learned about them having twins, that very night as his wife was asleep, Itachi had gone online and checked different real estate companies._

 _The next day, he had contacted them to ask about purchasing a house. He wanted to surprise Sakura with this. Their home was perfect but with two little ones on the way, Itachi wanted a bigger place for them where there was yard to which the kids could run around in._

 _When he brought Sakura there, Itachi still hadn't told her that he had already bought the property. It was a beautiful house with a lot of room. The sun room had French doors that overlooked the most spectacular view overlooking a lake. The kitchen was modern with marble counter tops and state-of-the-art appliances that catered to Sakura's love to cook._

 _There was a center table with high chairs which could be used for food preparations or informal, family breakfast and snack time._

 _Itachi had watched Sakura's eyes fill with excitement as he toured her in every room. He watched his wife all in love with their new home._

" _Do you see us living here, my love?" He couldn't help but ask._

 _His wife turned to him with excited eyes, "Of course. This is a very beautiful house. I would love for our kids to grow up in a place like this. Are you considering buying this?"_

 _When she was met with a glint in her husband's eyes that she knew so well, Sakura's jaw dropped. "No way! You've bought it, haven't you?"_

 _Itachi held out a pair of keys up and handed them over to a still shocked Sakura. "Happy birthday, my love. I look forward to making this house a home with you."_

 _Sakura flew into his arms and kissed him with such intensity as a few tears fell from her eyes. She had always loved this side of Itachi. He knew just the perfect way to make her feel all gooey inside._

 _He was more than ready to catch his wife when she flew into him. His arms immediately wrapped around her in a firm yet gentle grip. He returned her kiss with as much intensity, putting in as much emotion as he could. It grew heated fast, soon making it their first intimate memory of their new home._

 _That evening, at they laid in bed, Sakura said softly, "Who would have thought that we would eventually reach this in our lives?"_

 _Itachi shifted from beside her and looked down at her, not saying anything. She looked up to meet his gaze. "To be married…now, the parents of three wonderful children…we have gone through so much together that I doubt it will stop feeling surreal."_

" _Ah," Her husband readily agreed as he laid a kiss on her forehead. They had agreed that when asked, they would always include the little one that they lost. He would always be their first child. They would eventually teach their other children that._

" _I think I have finally remembered meeting you for the first time. Although I feel like there are still a lot of pieces missing. Will you tell me about it?"_

 _Sakura eyes softened. She knew that her beloved husband still struggled to complete the missing parts of his memories. He had come a long way but there are still so much that causes him much frustrations. He might not talk about it but she knew that they bothered him greatly._

 _With a nod, Sakura started their tale._

XxXxXx

It was the second week of January when Haruno Kizashi stopped at the drive way of their new home. He exchanged looks with his wife, Mebuki, before looking at the rearview mirror at their daughter, Sakura, who was fast asleep at the back seat.

"I'll take care of Sakura," Kizashi said as he took off his seatbelt.

Mebuki reached out her hand to still him. "I will take her, sweetheart. You have ben driving for a long time. Why don't you open the door and open the heater and I will follow you with Sakura? We can get the bags tomorrow." Mebuki insisted.

Just like with everything else, Kizashi couldn't tell his wife no, especially when she reasoned out like that.

It didn't take long before the little family settled in for the night.

The next day, Sakura woke up confused. She slowly rubbed her eyes and looked around her. Her little head turned to the side as her jade eyes started to take everything in. She in a room she had never seen before. Then it hit her. Her eyes widened and she smiled. They had arrived at their new house.

With much excitement, the little girl of five jumped out of bed and ran out of the room, quickly smelling pancakes. She little legs then brought her as fast as they could towards the smell of her mother's pancakes.

"Good morning!" She ran into the kitchen. She ran towards her father, who was enjoying his coffee and a place of pancakes in front of him.

"Good morning, princess." Kizashi replied adoring. He suddenly lifted Sakura to her booster seat while his wife placed a smaller plate with pancakes with honey and bananas in front of her.

"Good morning, Sakura."

"Thank you!" The little girl replied. She always loved her mother's pancakes. "Mommy, can I have strawberry milk today too?"

"I'm sorry, baby," Mebuki replied, taking a seat in front of her daughter. "I haven't gone to the store yet."

"Okay,"

XxXxXx

Mikoto was choosing some tomatoes for her youngest when she felt someone bump into her. She looked down and was surprised when she saw a small girl with pink hair and the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. Mikoto's heart couldn't help but melt at the adorable little girl.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." The girl said as she looked down in shame.

Before she could say anything she heard an older woman shout, "Sakura!" The little girl looked up and Mikoto saw a woman no older than her make her way towards them fast.

"Sakura! I thought I told you not to run off! Come here!"

The quite chastised little girl walked towards her mother, head bent. "I'm sorry, mommy."

Mebuki looked up and saw a beautiful, black-eyed woman looking at them curiously. "I'm so sorry if my daughter was a nuisance."

"Oh! No, not at all. I have two sons myself." Mikoto then looked down at the little girl who was holding onto her mother's skirt. She smiled and bent, "Hello there. My name is Mikoto. What's yours?"

After a quick look back at her mother, she replied shyly, "I'm Sakura. You're pretty."

Mikoto couldn't help but giggle. "Ah, thank you, Sakura-chan. I think you are the most adorable little girl ever. If I had a daughter, I want her to look just like you."

Sakura smiled shyly and buried her face against her mother's leg, before peaking back at Mikoto.

"You really do have an adorable little girl. My name is Uchiha Mikoto." The woman addressed the girl's mother, bowing her head slightly and extending her hand in greeting.

"It's very nice to meet you," the other woman answered as she too bowed and shook hands with her, "I am Haruno Mebuki and this is my daughter, Sakura. We just moved back here from Suna."

"Oh, that's nice." Before Mikoto could say more, from the corner of her eyes, she noticed Itachi leading Sasuke back towards them. "Oh, here are my sons."

She then called out, "Itachi, Sasuke, come over here please."

Mebuki turned as she unconsciously laid a hand on Sakura's head. She smiled when she noticed two boys with hair and eyes as black as onyx make their way towards them. Mebuki knew that those two would be breaking a lot of heart when they grew up.

"Haruno-san, I would like you to meet my sons, Itachi and Sasuke."

(to be continued…)

So what do you guys think? I purposely kept the first chapter short because I'm still not sure how you guys will take it. Please let me know if it's worth continuing. Thanks

Michiko


	2. Chapter 2

**REMEMBER**

CHAPTER 2

" _So are we expecting the little ones to be as rumbustious as you were when you were a child?" Itachi teased as he stroke his wife's hair._

 _Sakura blushed and buried her face against his chest. "Hey, you had your share of being a mini terror!"_

" _I was the quiet one. That would be Sasuke."_

 _She snorted. "Yeah right. Remember who convinced Shisui-san to jump of the roof on a dare?"_

" _That was not me," he replied as innocently as he could._

 _His wife could see right through it though. "Oh please, you can't pull of innocence. We both know that you are as unruly only much more subtle."_

" _Ah," he answered, pulling her for a kiss._

 _When the kiss ended, Sakura looked up at him dreamily. She then said, "But you were always my hero. You always looked out for me, even when I didn't know it."_

XxXxXx

After their introductions, Mikoto had invited Mebuki and little Sakura to have lunch with them. She had been planning to take her sons to the new outdoor restaurant near the park. She thought it would be wonderful if Sakura could join them.

Mebuki gladly agreed. She wanted her daughter to make new friends and adjust to their new city fairly quickly as she was going to start in her new preschool in about a week's time.

After lunch, both mothers brought their kids to the playground and shooed them to play.

Sakura was hesitant in going. She looked back at her mother and saw that she was already engaged in an animated conversation with Mikoto. She looked down at her shoes, thinking of what she would do. She suddenly felt a hand on her head. Looking up, she saw Itachi in front of her. Sasuke had already gone off to play at the sandbox with some other kids.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

She blushed as she brought her hair down again. She shook her head.

Itachi let out a sigh and knelt in front of her. "Do you want to play?" At her nod, he offered his back, "Come on, hop on."

Sakura tilted her head to the side cutely. "Hop on?" She asked.

Itachi couldn't help but laugh and replied, "Yes, hop on. Come on. I'll give you a piggy back ride towards the sandbox."

Not really sure how she was going to do, she walked forward as Itachi gently took her arms and made her wrap them around his neck. "Hold on," He instructed as he stood up, supporting her weight at his back.

Sakura squealed and laughed in amusement. Itachi smirked as he made his way towards his brother.

"Thank you for the ride, Uchiha-san!" She said as he placed her down.

"My name is Itachi, Sakura-chan."

"Okay, Itachi-san!" She tilted her head again as she observed the older boy. "Are you okay to play with us younger kids? The older kids in my old school didn't want to play with me." She added sadly.

"Hey, don't steal my, 'nii-san!" Sasuke suddenly said as he pushed Sakura forward.

The little girl fell and scraped her knees. Just as big tears started to form in her eyes, Itachi admonished, "Sasuke! Apologize! Now!"

"No!" Sasuke fought back as he crossed his arms. "Girls are eeky and she's not our sister."

Itachi gave a disappointed glare at his younger brother. "Foolish little brother," He then turned to the crying little girl and said gently, "I am sorry about my brother. He can be very foolish at times. Does it hurt?"

Sakura nodded as she rubbed her fists in her eyes. "It's okay. Mommy said that other kids can be mean but that doesn't mean they are really bad."

With her remark, Itachi sent his brother another glare. "Apologize, Sasuke. Mother did not raise you to be like that."

Sasuke was being stubborn. He didn't want to do what his brother was demanding. He ran away to go to the monkey bars. Itachi sat beside Sakura and gently wiped the sand of her knees. The scratches weren't bad. He then tied his handkerchief around her knee.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sakura-chan. So, where do you want to play?" Itachi asked.

Sakura scanned through the playground and then saw the biggest pit of plastic balls she had ever seen. She pointed that to Itachi.

"Good choice,"

Itachi led her there and allowed her to play as he went over to talk to his foolish little brother.

"Sasuke," Itachi called as he approached. The little boy didn't react but Itachi knew that he had heard him. "Why would you do something like that? Sakura-chan did not do anything to you."

Sasuke pouted as Itachi let out a sigh. He ruffled the little boy's hair, earning him a "hey". Itachi smirked and said, "Foolish little brother, just because we are nice to other people, we stop being brothers"

XxXxXx

Sakura was in heaven. She was having fun being swallowed by mounds of balls. She was small and it felt like a swimming pool of balls. It was never like this back home, she thought. There were even a lot of light green ones. She loved the color green contrary to what people thought because of her hair color.

As she was admiring the abundance of green plastic balls, a few kids approached her. "Hey pinky, what are you doing here? You're too small. This is a big kid play pen."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Sakura said sadly. She let go of the ball she was holding and started to leave the pen.

"Hurry up, will you! We can't play with you here!" Another kid shouted as he pushed her.

Tears started to form in her eyes. Sakura tried to leave as fast as her little feet could carry her. Once she was out, she didn't look back as she ran from the playpen. Because she was so upset, Sakura didn't notice that she ran straight to Mikoto.

"There, there, Sakura-chan," Mikoto soothed, patting the little girl on her head. Sakura looked up in horror and started crying in earnest. The little girl's tears twisted Mikoto's heart. "What's the matter, my dear?"

"I want my mommy."

"Aw, come here." Mikoto said as she hugged the weeping girl. Mikoto patted her back as she took out her handkerchief and started wiping her face. "What happened, Sakura-chan? Your mommy just went to the restroom. She will be back soon."

"The big kids said that I can't play here because I'm still small." Sakura said in a small voice.

Mikoto got angry at what she heard. "No, Sakura-chan. You can play here. Where are they? I will fight them and anybody. Yes, you can play at anything here."

Sakura was shocked when she heard Mikoto's outburst. She was amazed that a mother who had only met her was as protective as her mother. It was enough to halt her tears.

The older woman stood up and offered her hand to the little girl. She planned on telling this to Sakura's mother after but first she wanted to make sure that the girl was free to play.

As they were walking back towards the ball pit, Mikoto noticed that Itachi was walking towards them.

"There you are, Sakura-chan, I was getting worried." Itachi said, bending down slightly to look at the girl straight in the eyes.

Sakura held tight to Mikoto's leg, slightly hiding behind her. She was ashamed to look at the older boy as she still had tears on her face. She didn't want to lose her new friend just because she was being silly and allowed herself to cry.

"What's the matter, little one? Is your knee still bothering you?" Itachi asked.

"Some kids were picking on her, Itachi-kun." There was a censorship in her tone that was not lost to her son.

Itachi inwardly cringed at his failure. To be fair though, the ten-year-old did not think anything was going to happen to the little girl in the short time that he left her to find and talk to his errant brother.

Their mother always grilled unto him and Sasuke that they should always be respectful and honor girls. They should always be perfect gentlemen, looking out for the girls they choose to associate with.

With Itachi, that lesson weighed more. As he was the eldest son, he was taught by both parents that as the first son of the main house of Uchiha, he had the responsibility to take care of those younger and weaker than him, as well as the other members of his clan.

As the first son of the Clan Patriarch, Itachi had a rigid training on responsibility to prepare him for the mantle that he was born to inherit.

It couldn't be helped that having Sakura bullied by older children than her under his watch was a blow to his pride, even if he was only ten years old.

"I have figured as much, mother, when I returned with Sasuke and did not see her where I left her." Itachi answered as he looked up at his mother. "I have taken care of it."

He then looked back at Sakura and offered his hand, "Would you like to go back and play? I promise I will not leave you this time."

Sakura looked at his outstretched hand. She slowly nodded and hesitantly reached out to the older boy. "It's okay, Itachi-san. I know you and Sasuke-kun came here to play. I can play by the sandbox so you don't have to worry."

Itachi stopped walking and knelt in front of the little girl. She was very unusual. Not only was she using a speech pattern that was more adult, Itachi could tell that she was more sensitive to her surroundings and the people than his little brother. He gently bade her to look up at him. Once he had eye contact, he said, "I'm sure that you can build castles and have a world of make believe by the sandbox. But would it not be more be more fun if you played with us? Do not worry about my brother. Sasuke can be difficult at first but he is actually a good boy. As for me, I am sorry I was not able to protect you from other children but I promise that I will keep you safe. Will you give us a chance?"

Sakura couldn't help but blush. There in front of her was a handsome, older boy who was asking her to play with him and his brother. It had never happened to her before. It made her young heart flutter. She wasn't able to stop the smile from coming to her lips and nodding back. She knew she could trust her new friend.

If anyone was listening to the two now, you wouldn't guess with how they were talking to each other that they were children.

From a short distance, Mebuki joined Mikoto. The woman wondered what the ebony haired lady was looking at. She followed her gaze and noticed that she was looking at their children, Sakura and Itachi to be specific.

"What's going on?" Mebuki finally asked as the two children walked back to where Mikoto's youngest was playing.

Mikoto let out a proud and dreamy sigh. "You know how kids can sometimes be mean? They tried to bully Sakura-chan because she small. Apparently, Itachi-kun already took care of it. Knowing him, he had just reassured your daughter that everything is fine. With how they both look, I believe your daughter already feels better."

Mebuki could feel her annoyance and anger after finding out that her daughter was being bullied. But it turned to relief and amusement as quickly once she heard about Itachi.

Both mothers looked at their children. They look like they are having fun now. It would be interesting how things would turn out in the future.

(to be continued…)

Even if I didn't get that many reviews for the first chapter, I was surprised with how many clicked on favorite and alert. So, for you guys I've decided to continue. Things will start to shift in the next chapter. So I truly hope that you guys stick with me until the end.

Please review. Thanks

Michiko


	3. Chapter 3

REMEMBER

Chapter 3

" _I remember that." Itachi commented as he squeezed Sakura's shoulder. "When I brought Sasuke over and realized you were not there, I knew that something must have happened."_

 _Before either of them could say more, a cry from the baby monitor caught their attention. Sakura automatically began to rise from bed but Itachi's hand stilled her._

" _Let me," He said as he got up, "You have been taking care of them the whole day when you're supposed to be taking it easy."_

 _Sakura pouted. "I only gave birth, Itachi. I'm fine. Besides, I've had help from your mother."_

 _Itachi leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss after pulling his pants up. "Knowing you, you kept up with my mother instead of resting. Also, I believe it's a wonderful bonding opportunity between the twins and I. I will be back, my love."_

 _Sakura couldn't argue with that. She would give him all the opportunities he wanted to bond with their children. He was an amazing father. She knew that the kids would learn a great deal from him. Her thoughts were on her little family as she burrowed herself back under the blankets and hugged the pillow her husband just vacated. The smile on her lips was one of content. She heard the door to the children's room open with Itachi immediately saying, "What's the matter, Seiko? Daddy's here now."_

 _Their daughter's crying soon lessened, making Sakura's smile grow wider. Sakura couldn't help it. She stood from bad and took Itachi's shirt and put it over her body. She made her way towards the room that held all her favorite people in the world._

 _Once she entered, she was surprised to see both babies in Itachi's arms as he rocked on the rocking chair. He looked up at her and smiled. "It seems like Seiko woke up Seiji as well."_

 _Sakura knelt in front of them the gently stroked her fingers on their son's cheek before laying a gentle kiss on his forehead. She then proceeded to do the same to their daughter, who seemed to be wide-awake._

 _Itachi met Sakura's eyes, sharing their amusement. Their daughter seemed to be strong-willed already. "Sleep, little one. I know you are excited but you and your brother have a long day tomorrow so please try and get some sleep." She whispered, stroking her daughter's soft black baby hair._

 _It was the twins' dedication at the temple the next day. Itachi had fixed his schedule the moment his wife gave birth. With Sakura still on maternity leave, he wanted to make sure that he was free from all his duties to be with his family._

" _Let me take Seiji while you put Seiko to sleep. Is she wet?" Sakura asked as she took their little son and checked his diaper._

" _Ah," Itachi answered as he followed towards the changing table._

 _When they learned that they were expecting twins, both of them decided not to get another changing table. They wanted their children to share the things that their older brother would have used._

 _For Sakura's birthday, Itachi surprised his wife by having the changing table engraved with the names of all their children as well as had an angel carved next to each of the names on the top most drawer._

 _Itachi would forever cherish the memory of his wife's tears of happiness when he showed her. She had adored it, but loved her husband's gesture more. Ever since that day in Vienna, Itachi had gone above and beyond. He became more protective of her, making sure that she didn't do any lifting._

 _He made sure that his beloved truly felt cherish. They both don't remember much of the accident. They had lost more than their son that night, especially Sakura. To think that he had considered asking another to be his bride at the same table as Sakura, he could only imagine how shattering it was._

 _Sakura had made sure that he understood that she didn't blame him nor took it against him. They had talked long and hard about it the night before their wedding. They knew what tradition was but neither wanted to be away from each other. They had grown far used to sleeping and sharing the same bed from the moment they reunited. But no matter what he and his wife had agreed upon, Itachi vowed to himself that he would make up for it for the rest of their lives._

 _All throughout her pregnancy, Sakura would fall asleep in her husband's arms as usual but he made sure that his hands would always rub where their children grew inside of her. When he would think Sakura was asleep, he would talk to them about nothing in particular while rubbing. Sakura always pretended to be asleep, knowing that it was their bonding time._

 _It had been hard for Sakura to carry the twins during the last months of her pregnancy. She always had a hard time finding a comfortable position, especially during the middle of the night when the twins decided they wanted to play and be active._

 _It was that time that Itachi's nightly ritual of talking to the twins that helped Sakura find her sleep. When the twins would start, both of them would try to talk to them to settle down and Itachi would wrap his arms around her and start rubbing, telling the little ones every now and then to let their mother rest._

 _She knew that Itachi was going to be hands-on father. She wasn't disappointed once she gave birth. She had been exhausted and after a few hours after the first feeding, the twins' diapers needed changing._

 _Knowing how exhausted his wife was, Itachi had bravely undertaken the responsibility by himself. He vaguely remembered how his mother had changed Sasuke's diapers and he was confident enough to do it without any help from the nurses. After a few diapers later and some advice from the on-duty nurse, he finally figured out how to do it._

 _That evening, the nurses saw a side of the handsome man their superior married. They saw him as a father._

 _Now, Sakura couldn't help but walk up to Itachi and wrap her arms around his waist as he straightened from putting their daughter back onto her crib. She laid a kiss on his shoulder blade._

" _I love you, Itachi."_

 _Her husband turned towards her gently, taking her in his arms and replying, " I love you, too, Sakura."_

XxXxXx

Itachi entered the house and let out a sigh. He ran a hand on his forehead as he was having a headache. Sure he was gifted with intelligence more than average but never could he understand the girls who went to his school.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to appreciate beauty, he did. But he preferred the simplistic beauty than the artificial ones who paraded the school.

He couldn't careless for fan girls. It was only Mikoto's stringent teachings to respecting women that stops him from doing something drastic in pushing them away, like verbally or physically pushing them away. He was glad that he only had two months left to put up with them. They'd be graduating soon and he'd be off to university.

Itachi headed to the kitchen, hoping to get a snack before he headed up to his room. He stopped by the entryway when he noticed Sakura was sitting by the island counter apparently doing homework and had earphones on each ear.

She was so oblivious to his presence that Itachi couldn't help but smile. Ever since they met all those years ago at a supermarket and started playing together, their mothers had become fast friends thus ensuring a lot of play dates. Sakura grew up with his younger brother, while he was charged watching over them.

She was different than the girls at his school. Now at 13 years old, Sakura's nature seemed mature than her age. She had her childish moments still but if Itachi could be honest, he didn't find her annoying. If he had a little sister, he imagined that she would be like Sakura.

Itachi approached her and ruffled her hair when he got near enough. Sakura gave off a surprised, indignant shriek. Her ready glare didn't faze Itachi as he smirked back, took an apple from the fruit bowl and sat in front of her.

"Hello, Pinky," He said as he took a bite of his apple. "Where is Sasuke?"

Sakura rolled her eyes before removing both earphones. "Naruto decided to come over and drag Sasuke out. They've been gone for almost an hour. If Sasuke and I didn't need to start our science project, I would have gone home the moment they left."

"Ah,"

Sakura raised an eyebrow as she watched him eat his apple. She shook her head and went back to finish her homework. She was giving Sasuke only an hour more before she left for home, science project be damned. She'd make him do it all as punishment.

"What are you working on then?" Came Itachi's question.

"Algebra," Sakura answered as she showed him her book. "I'm almost done though. Itachi-san, I need a little help with English. I understand the flow of the chapter but I want to make sure I understand the representations of the characters."

"Sure. What book are you reading?"

"The Animal Farm by George Orwell. Kurenai-sensei said it's an allegory. I'm having trouble finding out if the scene has more than one meaning or not beyond the literal."

"Why don't you finish algebra first and then I will help you with the chapter?" Itachi said as he took out his own homework.

"Oh! If you are busy, Itachi-san, it's okay! I've already finished my report about it."

"It is fine, Sakura."

"But-"

"Sakura,"

She let out a sigh of resignation. "Thanks, Itachi-san."

They worked in silence. That was how Mikoto arrived upon a few minutes later. Mikoto smiled. It was such a normal scene to come upon in her kitchen. Watching the children grow up, Sakura and Itachi were more often together even if Sakura and Sasuke were of the same age. Even if they did go to the same school and would often be placed in the same class, Sakura usually ended up hanging out with Itachi more.

Her youngest and the pink-haired girl grew to be the best of friends but he usually got drag out by their other best friend, Naruto, which was the most probable reason why he wasn't there in the kitchen at the moment.

"Ah, Itachi-kun, you're home. Sakura-chan, why don't you stay for dinner? I'm making your favorite, ebi tempura."

The pleasure, excitement, and a little disappointment was clearly visible to the two Uchihas present. "Thank you, Mikoto-san. I would love to but I think I will pass. I'm sorry. Papa is away on business and it will be just mama at home."

"Oh? Let me call, Mebuki and ask her to come over. It will be more fun to have more people around at dinner, don't you think?" She didn't give the younger girl to decline as she turned and headed to the phone.

"I guess I'm staying to dinner then," Sakura said under her breath, not intending for Itachi to hear.

He heard nonetheless. He didn't plan on commenting but when Sakura said, "If that's the case…hmm…I think some blueberry cheesecake would be good for dessert."

"Come on. Let us go the store so we could come back early." Itachi offered as he got up and started packing his things.

Sakura was startled. She didn't realize that she verbalized her thoughts. She hesitantly got up and started packing as well. Arguing against the elder Uchiha brother about changing his mind was pretty useless. She knew well enough that he would even stop her from paying what she planned to buy and would be carrying all the stuff back.

As they were walking to the store, both were content with the walk. These were the times when her young heart would flutter the most. These were the times when she couldn't help but think that he must have done something right to have such a handsome male close to her. She would never confess to another soul that her young heart started to see Itachi as more than her best friend's brother and a close friend.

She wasn't sure when her crush developed. But she did know that she had always admired Itachi for his character. He was just as silent as Sasuke but Itachi was different. It also helped that Itachi was her hero.

Both Uchiha brothers aside from her friend Ino had helped her against bullies. They looked out for her. But it was Itachi who had really taught her how to stand up for herself. Where Sasuke and Ino would fight the bullies for Sakura, Itachi gave her the opportunity to stand up for herself while lending her strength.

It was during walks together with only the two of them could Sakura pretend, even for just awhile, that they were together more than friends. She told herself that was enough because she knew there was no way Itachi would look at her more than a little sister he never had. He was this perfect, amazing 18-year-old young man who was on his way to University. He was always surrounded by girls prettier and more talented than her who was closer to his age. He would never look at her way romantically.

With that knowledge, Sakura closely guarded her secret close to her heart, happy to have small moments with him. She knew that he would eventually find someone whom to love and she dreaded the day. She had been preparing herself to be happy for him because that was the right thing to do.

As they made their way to the store, Sakura decided to break the silence. She saw something briefly when she looked up at him at the kitchen earlier. As much as he could read into her, she would like to believe it was mutual.

"Not that I am prying, Itachi-san, but I know that something is bothering you when you walked in earlier. What's wrong?"

Itachi was surprised. He didn't think that Sakura saw that much. "It is nothing, Sakura. Worry not."

Before she could answer, a feminine voice interrupted their solitude.

"Itachi-kun!"

Both Itachi and Sakura looked over to the source of the voice and saw a group of teenage girls looking their way.

The group made their way quickly over. Itachi inwardly groaned.

"Itachi-kun, what a pleasant surprise." One with chocolate brown hair and blue eyes said. Sakura would have to admit that she was beautiful and couldn't help but feel a little envy.

With how her looks only passed as a wallflower with their unremarkable features, this girl was tall, slender and had the curves. She had a lot of make-up on though and her voice was a little on the high side, not to mention how short her shirt was and how tight her camisole was, showing off a great deal of cleavage.

The girl walked right up to Itachi, pushing Sakura to the side a little, something that Itachi didn't fail to notice. She then ran her finger on Itachi's person.

Itachi's eyes narrowed and as gently as he could stop her hand and stepped back. "Akagi-san, I would appreciate it very much if you step back from my person."

The girl Akagi laughed in response as her posse followed suit. The other girls converged at the back of their ringleader, further pushing Sakura away.

"Hey," Sakura reacted as she was pushed by one rather forcefully back, "Excuse **you,** but isn't it obvious that you are bothering Itachi-san?"

"Shut up, freak. Obviously Itachi-kun is only humoring you. He's too gentleman to tell you that you are a freak. Disappear, nobody." The girl Akagi said.

"Yeah. You are stinking the air here, leave. With your large forehead, you should be smart enough to understand but if you aren't let me spell it out for you, you aren't wanted here!" One of the girls said as she pushed Sakura again.

Sakura lost her footing to her bottom. The girls started laughing. The hurt was plainly on Sakura's features as she bent her head forward.

 _Oh now. It's happening again._ Sakura wanted to cry but she bit the inside of her cheek as she straightened out and dusted herself. She didn't say anything as she turned and headed to the store, never once noticed that Itachi had motioned to help her up but was blocked by Akagi.

"Sakura," Itachi called out.

Sakura looked back, schooling her face not to betray the hurt that she felt. "It's okay, Itachi-san, I'll go ahead and get what we need and I'll be right back." Without waiting for further exchange of conversation and wanting to distance herself from the rabid fan girls as soon as possible, Sakura turned back around and headed towards the store.

Once Sakura was out of the sight and beyond hearing range, Itachi turned towards the girls and gave them a cool glare.

"You dare hurt her again, I will personally make sure that you all regret it." Without another word, Itachi side-stepped the stunned group of females and followed Sakura inside. He wasn't going to allow her to wallow in self-pity.

(to be continued…)

Okay there you go. It took awhile but that's coz I've been so busy! Oh, and since there were almost next to none reviews. Anyway, just so you know, I'm totally against bullying. I know it happens all the time and we should all make an effort to stop it, but there are a lot of times when even our greatest efforts in stopping them, they still occur. I should know coz some of the bullying you seen in this story so far are from first hand experience.

For whatever reason bullying happens, it does. I just want to emphasize the importance of acknowledging that it happens everyday. The victims, most of the time, just need someone to stand up for them or help them see self-worthy.

Michiko


	4. Chapter 4

REMEMBER

Chapter 4

 _Sakura sat down beside Itachi on the couch as she finished serving some tea to her parents, Itachi's parents, Sasuke and then to herself and her husband. The couple had invited their family over for the afternoon and dinner after the temple blessing of their children._

 _Fugaku was holding Seiko, looking down at her with such gentle eyes and having their grandfather-granddaughter bonding moment, while both grandmothers were cooing a playful Seiji in Sasuke's arms. Sakura's father looked on in indulgence, patiently waiting his turn to hold either his granddaughter or grandson._

 _The scene seemed so perfect that Sakura couldn't help but smile as she leaned on her husband's shoulder. Itachi shared the same sentiments as he put his arm around Sakura and pulled her closer._

" _You are going to be breaking a lot of hearts when you grow up, little one, just like your mother. But all those boys will have to go through the men in this family first and I will tell you now, I am going to enjoy making sure that you only have the best." Fugaku whispered to the baby._

 _It was loud enough for the other people around the room to hear and make them laugh._

" _That goes to this little guy_ _as well_ _, Fugaku-san. Little Seiji is on his way to grow up to be as handsome as his father. I have a feeling that whoever tries to be his girl friend in the future will have to deal with his sister. These two will be very protective of each other." Mebuki commented as she stroked Seiji's chubby cheeks gently._

" _As much as I don't like to imagine them all grown up, I can't help but agree. These two are so in tune with each other. They will certainly watch over each other throughout their lives." Sakura answered as she took a sip of tea._

" _They are Uchiha," Sasuke said, handing Seiji over to his grandfather and reached over for his tea. "It is only natural that they watch out for each other."_

" _That's true, especially considering how Itachi looked out for you, but then again, that goes both ways. Itachi did have his moments." Sakura teased._

" _Ah," Sasuke agreed, eyeing his older brother who had an eyebrow raised towards his wife. "He can be dense, especially with the ladies."_

" _That's not a very nice thing to say about your brother, Sasuke, besides you were just as bad when you were a teenager." Mikoto reprimanded. Sasuke had the decency to blush._

" _I've started to remember that part of my life." Itachi suddenly said. Silence greeted his statement and he felt Sakura squeeze his hand in reassurance. "Sakura and I were talking about it."_

 _Fugaku leaned towards his son. "How do you feel about that?"_

 _Itachi met his father's gaze before looking back at his wife. Making sure they have direct eye contact, he answered, "It seems like I have inadvertently been_ _one of the causes of my wife's pain far earlier than I thought_ _."_

XxXxXx

Sakura took a basket at the entrance and made her way to the fruits section. As she was choosing the best blueberries, silent tears ran down her face much to her chagrin. Every now and then she would wipe a tear with her hand before trying to accomplish her task of choosing.

It hurt. It simply hurt. To be pushed aside and degraded was one thing…it was more to be done in front of her crush. She couldn't even do anything to defend herself.

They had been right. She was a nobody compared to them. She definitely wasn't as curvy or pretty. She didn't have the right assets to pull off anything like those girls. And she most certainly didn't possess any confidence to admit to Itachi her blooming feelings towards him. She won't do that as she knew it would only push him away.

Sakura took a deep breath and willed herself to stop. She knew it wouldn't do to keep crying in the middle of a store. After a few more deep breaths and a harsh talking down inwardly, her tears ceased.

As she turned to make her way to find the other ingredients for her cheese cake, Sakura was shocked to see Itachi standing there looking at her. He didn't say anything as he walked towards her slowly.

Sakura's resolve to stay strong seemed to crumble in front of the one man she wanted to prove it the most. All her insecurities suddenly became overwhelming as tears started once more.

Itachi could feel a slight ache in his heart. He never did like to see Sakura in tears. What the girls did to her earlier was harsh no matter how untrue what they said are.

He walked towards her and wordlessly took her in his arms. Sakura closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on his chest, silencing all the sobs that wanted to break free. She might not have been able to stop the tears, she was able to keep her sobbing to herself.

Itachi just held her. He was sure that she didn't want his words at that moment. Judging by the shakes from her, Itachi was definite that was trying to be strong. She wouldn't appreciate talking about what happened earlier.

When the tears seemed to have dried and having stood there for an indefinite number of time, Sakura finally had the strength to pull away. Itachi kept her hands on her shoulder, waiting for her next move.

"I'm sorry," Sakura's soft voice drifted to him, "I know I should have handled that better."

"Perhaps, but you already know that you are entitled to feel hurt by what happened."

Sakura shook her head and stepped back further. She mustered a smile and said instead, "Our moms might wonder where we are if we take longer." Without waiting for his response, she turned and headed to the dairy section. Itachi took the basket from her hands and followed in silence.

As they walked back to the Uchiha residence, Itachi finally decided to address what happened earlier. "You should not allow what some of my schoolmates said earlier bother you."

"I know, Itachi-san." She had wanted to say so much more but stopped herself. _There was some truth to what they said, Itachi-san._ She knew that it will only get him angry if she had said that so she kept it to herself.

Itachi stopped himself from releasing a sigh. He knew Sakura long enough to have an idea what was going through her head. With how often she found herself being bullied growing up, he was sure that the episode earlier was a huge knock against her confidence.

Without any doubt, Itachi knew that Sakura's confidence was shot. Ever since meeting her when they were kids, a protective instinct swelled inside of him.

He reached out and took her arm, stopping her. "Sakura,"

Sakura turned and tilted her head to the side, silently questioning him what was wrong.

"Talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"How about what you really feel, Sakura?"

"What else is there to say? You already know that yeah it was brutal earlier. Now, I have to deal with it."

"Sakura," He didn't have to say more for Sakura to understand what he wanted to say. They had been around each other long enough to interpret subtle cues.

"Seriously, Itachi-san, it's okay."

Itachi's eyes narrowed as he said, "Do not say it is fine when obviously it is not."

She could detect the slight censure in his tone. It was enough to annoy Sakura. It had already been a humiliating day. Having him tell her off in how she was dealing with it was just over the top. Anger ran through her veins.

"What more do you want to hear? I already told you I'm dealing with it!"

"No, you are not! You are putting yourself down! That is not dealing with it!"

It was the first time Itachi raised his voice at her. He couldn't understand why she couldn't see her worth. It was clear in her face and in her demeanor that old insecurities were working through her head. She was beating herself up more than what happened earlier. He cared about her enough to take on the responsibility of making sure that she doesn't overdo it.

Anger is what covered the shock of having him raise his voice at her from showing on Sakura's face. She wasn't putting herself down! She was acknowledging the truth and accepting that her feelings would forever be unrequited. She was also dealing with her humiliation. She couldn't fathom what else Itachi wanted her to do. It wasn't his place to tell her that she wasn't dealing with it when her entire being was consumed in acting mature to face the adversity.

"I am not putting myself down!"

Sakura's outburst made Itachi narrow his eyes at her more. "Really? Then you weren't thinking of how you do not measure up to the girls of my school earlier. You are not thinking that they are more beautiful, more gifted, more appealing than you, am I right?"

As Itachi uttered each of the sentences, he approached her and looked straight into her eyes. "You are not thinking that you are nothing, right?" He said it in such a way that she knew dared her to contradict him.

"You want to know what I'm thinking?!" Sakura heatedly answered back. She didn't give him the opportunity to answer. She wasn't even thinking anymore. "I'm thinking that I might be as perfect as they think they are but I know I'm only 13 and I have a lot more of growing up to do. Not only am I annoyed that I didn't get to defend myself and help you, I've never been humiliated more than I did today. I've been demeaned and physically pushed away where I literally fell. That all happened in front of a guy who I'm starting feelings for, whom I know will only see me as a little sister. That same guy is now in front of my face forcing me to admit more than I am ready to. You know what, I'm done. I'm so done."

Sakura shoved Itachi away from her, grabbing the bags from his frozen hands and started walking to his house without a backward glance. She knew that it would be almost next to impossible to endure dinner but she knew she had to soldier through. She wasn't able to disrespect the rest of the Uchiha family and her mom was coming. There was no way she was going to work her way out of it unless if it was a life or death situation.

Itachi remained frozen where he stood. He never, in his wildest dreams, thought that he would hear that from Sakura. He wasn't sure how to feel about Sakura's unexpected confession.

In a way, he felt betrayed because he never expected her to feel that way towards him. But after a quick reflection, the feeling of betrayal died a quick death. To be fair, Sakura never treated him different and she never threw herself at him. She was still young. They spent a lot of time together growing up, of course she would feel some sort of attachment to him. He was sure that as she grew older, she would truly know what it felt to fall in love. What she was feeling might feel real at that point but he knew it was more puppy love than anything.

With that thought, he finally started walking again to catch up with Sakura. He caught up with her just about on the corner of their street. He retook the bags and they walked in silence, neither acknowledging the other.

Sakura realized as she started walking that now that she had admitted her budding feelings, she didn't know how to act in his presence. Her anger got the better of her and in turn, she revealed something that she never wanted Itachi to know. Now, she had to live with the consequences.

Itachi remained silent because he knew that Sakura needed to recompose herself. He knew that she hadn't been ready to confess. She would need to find her equilibrium.

He decided to find a moment to talk to her before she went home. He didn't want her to go home without resolving the troubled footing they found themselves in. He found his opportunity when their mothers left them in the kitchen to set the table and Sakura finally had free reign on the stove to do her cheesecake.

"Sakura," Itachi started as he leaned by the kitchen counter by the stove while Sakura stirred the blueberry sauce. "I want to apologize. I should not have confronted you the way I did earlier."

She took a taste of the sauce before she answered, "Yes, perhaps you shouldn't have done it like that but I understand where you are coming from. So you're forgiven."

"Thank you," Itachi's gaze never left her as she worked on the different elements of the cheesecake. "You are special, Sakura. Never forget that."

Sakura could only nod. She didn't exactly know what else to say. Besides, her guts were working overtime telling her that he was about to bring up her confession. She wasn't too far behind on that thought when she heard him say, "The confession blindsided me though."

She decided to let him talk. She had already said all earlier. She would give him this time.

"You are special, Sakura. You will find that special man for you. Whoever he is will be very lucky indeed."

She knew that was going to happen. She knew that he would never return her feelings and had been prepared. It didn't lessen the sting though.

"Perhaps," Sakura found herself answering. Her voice had been small, willing to have all her focus on the cheesecake rather than listening.

"Sakura, look at me." Itachi urged. He wanted to get his message across without being misunderstood. She was smart, he knew, but this was something very important and quite frankly he didn't have much experience with.

"You will find the man who deserves you. You are still young. Perhaps I am the one you are closest to so you are feeling like this. Explore and find him."

She only looked up at him and didn't say anything. From her eyes, he knew that he had hurt her but it was necessary for her growth. It was for her after all. He saw how her eyes cleared and her offered smile.

"Maybe you think that what I'm feeling is childish and perhaps you are right. I just want you to know that I never expected anything. But I promise you, Itachi-san, this will be the last time you will hear about this from me. No hard feelings. I totally understand. Now, if you don't mind, the cheesecake is about to burn."

Itachi let her go and let her do her thing. Little did he know, he let her go far more away from him than what he was expecting. That night broke something fragile between them, the easy comraderie, the closeness.

True to her word, she never spoke of the incident again and had stepped back more. She never turned to him anymore for advice or to share tidbits about herself. At times, she would beg off dinner or visits.

He noticed the change almost immediately but once brought up by his mother on the table one time, he and the rest of the family learned from Sasuke that Sakura had gotten herself into a lot of afterschool activities.

Itachi wasn't sure how to feel about that as he was on his way to university, away from home for a long period of time. As he drove towards his new school and dorm, his thoughts would often linger on the 13-year-old pink haired teen he grew up with. He kept telling himself that was he did was for her own good.

He didn't lie when he told her that she was special and that one day she would find the perfect man to build a life with. By rejecting her feelings, he hoped that it would free her enough so that she could spread her wings. But he most definitely don't want to lose her friendship. He made a mental note that once things have settled down with his new life and Sakura had enough time to sort out her feelings, he would urge her so that they could repair their friendship.

Itachi already considered her almost family, his little sister. There was no way he would push her out of his life completely.

(to be continued…)

This chapter, just like the last one, pretty much concentrated on Sakura and Itachi. It might not be that interesting and feel that some things are missing but I purposely did that because this was the turning point in their lives as individuals. I know people haven't reviewed and that is a little disappointing but I will still continue this story until the end. I would really like people's thoughts though. Anyway, I'll end it here for now.

Michiko


	5. Chapter 5

**REMEMBER**

A/N: Okay here is the latest installment of the story. To be honest, there isn't much more to go before the end. I hope that you guys stick around. For the very few that did send in the review, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have no idea how grateful I am that you guys took the time to push that button and send a message back. THANK YOU! 3

Michiko

Chapter 5

" _To be honest, sweetheart," Mebuki said as she gathered her grandson from her husband and rubbing his back gently, getting him into further sleep. "We already knew from the moment you two met and started spending so much time together that you would end up married once you both grew up."_

 _Both Itachi and Sakura were stunned. They looked at each other before looking at Mebuki in disbelief. They hadn't been able to even understand their feelings until after a lot of things happened between the two of them._

" _Don't look at me like that, you two." Sakura's mother uttered with a soft laugh._

 _Mebuki shared a look with Mikoto, prompting the Uchiha matriarch to put in her two cents worth. "Well, we hoped from the start. Sakura-chan has always been cute and I certainly didn't mind having her for a daughter-in-law," It prompted Sakura to turn pink, "But more than that, as you two grew up, grew closer and then grew apart, we were certain feelings have already been involved. At that point, it was only a matter of time."_

 _Before either Sakura or Itachi could answer, Seiko started to fuss in Fugaku's arms. Sakura smiled and stood, "Come Sei-chan. Let's get your diaper changed and take a nap like your brother."_

 _The little girl stopped fussing and reached her chubby arms up towards her mother._

 _Sakura disappeared into their children's room with Seiko. Itachi still couldn't help but think about the time when she had first confessed to him when she was thirteen._

 _He could remember his words to her at that time, "You are special, Sakura. You will find that special man for you. Whoever he is will be very lucky indeed."_

 _Indeed. He was lucky to have her, to love her, to be with her for the rest of his live, his wife, the mother of his children._

 _He had let her go when she was thirteen, thinking that what she felt wasn't real. Oh how he could hit his head if he knew at 18 the life he had now with his Sakura. Even before they took their vows, Itachi swore that he would love her the way she deserved and more._

 _Thinking back, he still can't remember all the details on his past, but now he could remember that they had lost years. But perhaps they needed those years apart._

XxXxXx

The bell had rang. It was finally the end of the school day. It was a Friday. Sakura and Sasuke shared the same class and sat next to each other at the back.

As she was fixing her stuff, "Hey, Sakura, Mother is asking if you want to come over. Itachi will be here tonight with his girl friend."

Her 17-year-old heart nearly stopped. She could feel her heart shatter again. Even if she told herself to start forgetting about him when she was 13, she just couldn't stop her feelings. She hid it well now. No one knew, even her best friends, especially Sasuke.

Now, hearing that Itachi was coming home with a girl friend made it more real. He would never see her as more.

After the disaster of her first confession at 13, she never had the same relationship with Itachi. She treated him more as the brother of her best friend rather than the closest friend she had growing up.

"Sorry, Sasuke. Please extend my apologies to Mikoto-san. Ino and I are heading out of town for the long weekend. She has these tickets for some spa and she's been bugging me to go. I already told her that I would. Maybe next time."

Sasuke didn't say anything at first, watching Sakura continue fixing her stuff. She might think that she'd been hiding it well but Sasuke knew that she still had feelings for his older brother and that was the only reason why she'd turned down the invitation.

He couldn't blame Sakura for not coming. He hadn't met his older brother's girl friend but she had to be great to turn Itachi's attention to hers. Sasuke would never admit it but Sakura is one of the people he would fight the world for. She had always been by his side, even putting up through his angst, stubbornly fighting him retain his humanity.

Just like his family, Sakura would always have his loyalty. Whether she knew or not, whether she wanted it or not, he would always look out for her.

"Hn," Sasuke answered as he stood. "Don't forget a souvenir."

Sakura couldn't help the laugh as she too stood. "Sure, Sasuke. I'm sure that a cute little teddy bear key chain will be perfect for you."

"Annoying," He answered as he ruffled her hair.

"I'm getting you for that. You mark my words." Sakura said as she straightened her hair a bit.

Sasuke snorted. "I'd like to see you try, squirt."

Sakura, this time, was the one that snorted. "One day, Sasuke. You'll never even know what hit you."

As they walked down the corridor towards the school entrance, Sasuke said, "Don't run too far."

She looked at him confused. "I'm not running anywhere."

"Sakura, leave but come back. My brother is a fool if he let you go only to end up with someone less than you."

That stopped Sakura in her tracks. Her mouth was agape.

Sasuke lifted a brow and said, "Did you really think you could hide it from me?"

After the shock left her body, Sakura smiled at him and shook her head. "I promise."

She was rewarded with the Uchiha smirk. "I'll see you in Tuesday, Sasuke. Give my regards to everybody."

XxXxXx

Dinner had started already and so far, Sasuke wasn't having a good impression about Itachi's girl friend. Her voice was so irritating. He didn't understand Itachi's fascination with her.

When Itachi had left for a bathroom break, leaving _her_ and Sasuke alone, she had flirted with him. Then, she had the gall to act like nothing was wrong once his older brother was back.

To Sasuke, that _girl_ was simply a fan girl. Judging by his parents' cool but polite reception, Mikoto at least, Sasuke was certain that girl was not going to be a part of the family.

Fugaku had been silent at the head of the table. Sasuke didn't even bother to make an effort in adding to the conversation.

"So what are you taking up, Kinoshita-san?" Mikoto asked. She didn't like the girl Kinoshita Risa any more than her husband, and from the looks of it, and her youngest but she still had to be polite.

"I am a business major like Itachi-kun."

Just as Mikoto was about to answer, Sasuke's phone dinged with a new message. It prompted Fugaku to give a reprimanding stare at his youngest son. No electronics on the dinner table. If it were important, they would either call the house phone or call the cell phone numerous times. Simple messages were not tolerated while on the table.

Sasuke apologize as he took out his phone and checked who sent him a message. He smirked when he saw Sakura's name.

There had been an accompanying picture of a small teddy bear with a blue bow.

" _This is so you! I just had to get it…as promised._ _"_

"Hn. Should have asked you to take me with you. Dinner sucks!" Sasuke answered right away and turned his phone on silent before returning it on his pocket.

"What was that, dear?"

Sasuke knew that even if Mikoto asked with a gentle voice, there was a reprimand there as well. Meals were family time. Just as his father disliked gadgets on the table, his mother was more so.

"Sakura." His answer was simple as he picked up his chopsticks again and picked on the dinner. He didn't even venture a glance over at his brother. As far as he was concerned, what he told Sakura earlier held true. If that was the kind of girl his brother would choose to associate with, then he was a fool.

"Oh?" Fugaku speaking in interest for the first time during their dinner. He would never admit it openly but he was fond of the young girl. He had watched her grow up. He could clearly see this spark within the girl. With the right guidance, she would be a force to be recon with when she reached adulthood.

Mikoto smiled at the mention of the girl. She truly adored the pink-haired girl. She had wanted to have a daughter of her own but had two sons instead. With how often she and Mebuki spent time together, Sakura became like a surrogate daughter to her.

"You mentioned that your classmate invited her to an onsen outing over the weekend. Where they the only ones that went?"

Fugaku frowned. "It is not safe for only two teenaged girls to go on their own."

Sasuke shook his head. "From what I know, 'tou-san, The tickets are really given to Ino's mother. She was given three tickets. Ino's father couldn't make it. That was when Ino asked Sakura to go."

"And that was her telling you that they have arrived?" Fugaku said as he took a bite of rice.

"Ah," Sasuke answered. He then smirked, "She's being annoying."

"Sakura is your girl friend, Sasuke?" Risa asked, joining the conversation.

Sasuke, in turn, fought the urge to narrow his eyes or wrinkle his nose. They had only met earlier and she already felt at liberty calling to him familiarly. "Hn, I believe it isn't your business."

"Sasuke," Itachi admonisted.

"You want me to pretend I like her, Aniki? From what I've seen so far, there isn't any redeeming quality about her."

"Sasuke," This time it was his mother who spoke.

Risa paled a moment before growing a little red in anger.

He put down his chopsticks and stood. "I apologize, 'tou-san, 'ka-san, but I can't stay here and pretend. As far as I'm concerned, she's just a fan girl wanting to score points, lest, she wouldn't have made a pass at me earlier. It's disgusting, not to mention degrading to even think to be expected to respect her when she's pretty obviously don't respect me. Excuse me."

He didn't wait to be excused or the pangs of hunger in his stomach. No way was he going to continue siting in the dining table with _her_ around. Sasuke gathered his jacket at the rack by the door and left to go and get something to eat.

He took out his cell phone and dialed Sakura's number. It rang twice before he heard her answer, "That bad huh?"

Sasuke couldn't help but shake his head in amusement and smirk. "Ah,"

"I just checked the time. So, more or less, you didn't even half your dinner."

"Ah, you know me."

He could feel than hear Sakura's snort on the other end. "Go to my tree house. I left something for you."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "Food?" He immediately changed directions and headed for Sakura's house.

"No, clothes," Sakura answered sarcastically. "Of course food!" Then came her laughter. "Don't even act surprised. You have always had high standards, especially towards girls. I know you well enough to be frank and could be down right rude as to skip dinner to get away from annoying girls."

"Hn,"

"My parents aren't home so just go ahead to the tree house. I told mom that I left something for you there before I left so she's sort of expecting you, in case you see each other."

"Hold on one second. Let me climb the tree." Sasuke then climbed the rope ladder he had helped Sakura and her dad make. There, in the wooden desk Sakura's father make and carved was a bento box. "I've seen the bento box." He told Sakura.

"Good. I made sure to place extra tomatoes. I swear you will have to help me plant tomato plants around the garden with how fast you eat them." Sakura teased.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"No problem, Sasuke. Don't worry. I didn't poison you or anything."

"That's good to know." He answered drily as he took his first bite. He would never dare admit to Sakura that he loved her cooking. It rivaled his mother's. Mebuki's cooking was good too but Sasuke always loved his mother's more. Sakura was a close second. _All those cooking sessions with 'oka-san sure paid off._

"Will you be in trouble with what happened?"

"Maybe,"

"Will you be alive when I get back? Or do I need to head back right now?"

Sasuke snorted. "I'll live." Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Listen, Sakura, my brother is a fool. Move on. I'm only saying this for you."

Sakura let out a breath from the other end. "Yes, I know. I'm trying, Sasuke. I know I deserved someone who will see me first and love me, for me. I've known for years that Itachi would never be that for me. I've been trying to force my heart to give up." It was silent for a moment as Sakura's end. "One moment, Sasuke. Ino's asking me something. I'll get back at you, don't hang up but keep eating."

At this point, Sasuke had switched his phone to speaker. He patiently waited for Sakura to get back. But soon, he noticed that he wasn't alone at the tree house anymore. Someone else had climbed up.

XxXxXx

Once Sasuke left the table, all eyes turned towards Risa. "If you excuse us, Otou-san, Okaa-san," Itachi said as he stood from his chair. "I believe Risa and I have something to talk about." His eyes didn't leave his girl friend.

Risa could see his look. It dared her to say no. Without another word, she also stood and followed Itachi to the next room.

Once they reached the back porch, Itachi calmly said, "My brother is a lot of things but he is not a liar. So, I am only going to ask you this once. What did you do to him?"

"I was simply getting to know your brother, Itachi-kun."

"Pray tell, why he reacted that way, if it were that simple?"

"He doesn't like me. What else?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"If you ask me, I don't like him either. If he's a complete jerk about it, then I want nothing to do with him. He's a spoiled brat if you ask me." Risa went on to say.

He gritted his teeth. "Hn,"

Risa took it as a sign that Itachi had been pacified. She took a step inside his personal space and laid a hand on his chest, "Let's just go, Itachi-kun. We can head back to university now. You can stay over. My roommate is with her family for the weekend too. We can have the apartment all to ourselves."

Itachi gently but firmly took her hands from his person. "I am not in the mood, Risa." He then took a step away from her.

"Listen, I have to go find my brother. You can take the car back to campus if you want. I'll find my way back." He started heading back inside the house without looking back at her or waiting for her to answer.

Once inside, Itachi saw his mother putting away the food into different containers. She looked up from what she was doing but didn't say anything.

"Okaa-san, I'm heading out to look for Sasuke. I believe he and I are overdue to have a brotherly talk."

"What about Risa-san?"

Itachi took out his car keys from his pocket and handed them over to his mother. "I told her she can head back to campus tonight if she wanted to."

"Your brother didn't eat much of his food. More than likely he went somewhere to eat."

"Ah,"

As he was about to leave, Mikoto said, "Try Sakura's tree house. With Sakura out of town and he would have just bought food and headed there to be alone."

"Sakura's tree house?"

"Yes." Mikoto started putting the containers away in the refrigerator. Itachi automatically started assisting her. "Most of the time Sasuke turned up missing, Sakura's parents would peak into the tree house and would find him there with Sakura and at times, with Naruto as well."

"Hn, so it is true that they are in a relationship?"

Mikoto eyed her first born. "Not that either of them are admitting. Perhaps the best people to answer that, my son, are your brother and Sakura."

With a nod, Itachi headed out. Sakura was with his brother? Somehow he had this uncomfortable feeling inside that he couldn't explain. He was usually the one she turned to and was closer to. It all changed when they had the _talk_ and if he were honest with himself, Itachi knew that he wanted that back.

Then a thought crossed his mind. Was Sakura with Sasuke because she transferred her crush for him to his younger brother? If that were the case, he didn't want that for the both of them. He wanted them both happy. If they found happiness with each other, he would be glad but he would prefer if it were for the right reasons.

It didn't take him long to find Sakura's house. It seemed that her parents weren't home. Itachi climbed the ladder and saw his brother's back. From the little he could see, there was a bento box in front of him and he was eating.

"Sasuke," He called out as he made his way in.

His brother didn't turn around but grunted his acknowledgement.

"Mind telling me what earlier was about." Itachi said as he sat beside his brother.

Sasuke took his phone but Itachi grabbed it.

"Give me the phone back, 'nii-san."

"Not until you talk to me."

"Give me the phone back," Sasuke repeated.

"No. To do something disrespectful in the dinner table, you must have a very good reason."

"Weren't you listening? Maybe hanging around with that girl friend of yours that you've started losing your hearing aside from IQ points." Sasuke quietly hoped that Sakura hadn't come back. He didn't want her to hear him arguing with his older brother.

"Sasuke," Itachi admonished.

"Look, I don't like her. I'm never going to like her."

"Fine. Now, are you and Sakura together?"

"Together?" Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes,"

"Why?"

"I have nothing against you two together if you are both happy."

"So why the question?"

"Sakura confessed to me years ago. I just want to make sure that-"

"That she isn't using me to forget you?" Sasuke shook his head. "You are a fool, 'nii-san. My phone if you please."

"We haven't finished talking, Sasuke."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glared at his older brother. "I was talking to Sakura on speaker phone before you came. She only stepped away for a moment."

Itachi froze and looked at Sasuke's screen. The call was still on-going.

"Sakura," Itachi whispered. Both brothers then saw the call ending.

XxXxXx

Monday came. Sakura went to school early and knocked on the faculty room. Heading to her adviser, she bowed and said, "Sensei, I've decided. I want to take that exchange student program in Los Angeles."

(to be continued…)


	6. Chapter 6

**REMEMBER**

 **A/N: Before anything else, thanks CatalinaG for pointing out that the last chapter has spelling errors. I'll look into it next time. I know it's no excuse but I'm sorry guys for it. I was writing this in between work like literally during the few minutes of break and I posted it right away since I was already behind my personal deadline for chapter update. Anyway, I'll be editing this from chapter 1 and of course, I'll be editing Remember to Choose Me as well.** **Like I hinted the previous chapter, it will only be a few chapters left.** **I'm thinking 2 or 3 chapters more.**

 **Michiko**

 **Chapter 6**

 _That evening, Itachi had been the one to cook dinner. When their families left and the twins were still in their nap, he had encouraged her to nap along with them. It didn't take too much convincing._

 _As dinner was approaching, Itachi had let his wife sleep in. He carefully got up from their bed. He checked the twins down the hall before heading to the kitchen._

 _The kids had already started eating solid food. The twins' pediatrician has already given the go signal to start introducing solid food, even if Sakura was still breastfeeding them. For that week, they had introduced carrots._

 _No one knew it aside from his wife and his family but Itachi loved to cook. On the first White Day he and Sakura celebrated as a couple, he had rented a cottage near a camping trail by the lake and prepared her a 3-course meal as a surprise. He had prepared kani salad, assorted tempura with rice and miso soup, and, a very chocolate cake._

 _Sakura had been immensely impressed. Once the chocolate cake was served, she had playfully pouted at him and commented, "You cook better than me."_

 _Itachi smirked, "Hn," He was pleased that Sakura enjoyed his food._

 _From then on, he would cook for her whenever he got the chance. He loved it more when it was the two of them in the kitchen. Once Sakura learned Itachi's skills in the kitchen, the two of them started a tradition where they would find new places and food to eat. If they liked it, they would spend hours in the kitchen trying to re-create it._

 _When they moved in together for the first time, it was a silent agreement between the two that the kitchen was the center of their home. They talked about anything and everything there._

 _Before the twins were born, the both of them had agreed that from the moment the twins were old enough, they would encourage them to be a part of the tradition._

 _As Itachi started their dinner, his thoughts went back to the time when Sakura had left for America._

XxXxXx

Itachi got Sakura's number from his little brother after much prodding. His brother finally relented with a parting message, "Don't expect her to answer, aniki. If she does…"

To be honest, he didn't really understand what he did to offend his brother and Sakura greatly. He had nothing but good intentions. He realized that perhaps he should have coursed it in another way. He was man enough to admit that he did wrong. He wouldn't stop until he made sure that Sakura knew his remorse.

In the confines of his room, Itachi sat by his window sill and dialed. It rang a couple of times and just when he thought that she wasn't going to answer, "Hello?" Sakura's voice sounded like she had been running.

"Hello, Sakura."

There was a pause. "Itachi-san?"

"Ah,"

"Hi. How'd you get my number? Wait! Don't answer that. I know."

"Hn,"

"So, what can I do for you, Itachi-san?"

"I want to apologize, Sakura. I did not mean to-"

"There is no need, Itachi-san. I'm sorry but I am in the middle of something. I have to go. Bye, Itachi-san."

He didn't have a chance to answer as the line suddenly went dead. Itachi looked at his phone, not clearly believing that Sakura had hung up on him. Although she had said that she forgave him, her actions told him otherwise. He tried calling again but was met with, " _...the number you are calling is either currently unavailable or out of coverage area. Please try your call again later."_ Her voicemail then activated and asked him to leave a message.

A sigh escaped his lips as he tried several more times, only to have the same results.

Over the next days, Itachi kept trying but still had the same results. On Monday, Itachi came over to her house early in the morning, hoping to catch her before she left for school. He had every intention on taking her to school and using that time to talk with her. When he arrived though, he was disappointed to find out once Mebuki opened the door for him that Sakura had already left for school. He didn't have any choice but to head back to university without talking with her.

XxXxXx

"Oi teme!" Naruto bounded as Sasuke was about to take his seat.

"Dobe,"

Naruto sat on top of Sakura's desk and looked at Sasuke. "Can I copy your math homework?"

"Hn," Sasuke answered, sitting down. "No."

"Oh come on, teme!"

Before their argument could continue, they both turned when they heard Sakura greet "Good morning" as she was entering their class room. Both watched her walk towards them.

Sasuke gave her a nod, silently observing her. He knew that she was affected with what happened over the weekend. He also knew his brother would have made contact with her already.

"Morning, Sakura-chan! Listen, listen, I was wondering if I could borrow your math homework-"

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. One of her eyebrows went up. "You forgot to do it again."

Naruto suddenly brought his hands together in prayer and bowed his head a little in pleading, "Please, please, Sakura-chan. This is the last time I promise."

"That's what you said the last time, dobe." Sasuke commented.

"Shut up, teme! Don't corrupt Sakura-chan with your jackassiness."

Sakura started laughing. "Jackassiness? Is that even a word? I think all that ramen has finally started burning your brain."

Naruto looked aghast. "Sakura-chan," he said quite appalled.

It sent Sakura into more laughter while Sasuke smirked. Naruto pouted, sending more laughs his way.

"Anyway," Sakura said as she calmed down, "here you go." She handed her notebook to Naruto.

Naruto beamed down at her and said, "How was the weekend with Ino?"

"Oh!" Sakura got the keychain she promised to Sasuke and handed it to him, "I almost forgot."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Naruto teased.

Sasuke glared at Naruto and smacked the back of his head, "Dobe,"

Sakura couldn't help but smile. She was going to miss them and their banter. "I'm going to miss this." She didn't notice she had said it aloud until she saw the two boys freeze and turn to her.

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned.

It was Sakura's turn to freeze. "Well um,"

"Sakura," This time it was Sasuke.

She took a deep breath. She was going to break the news to them later that day but might as well tell them at that moment. "I was offered the opportunity to participate in an exchange student program. I accepted this morning."

"Wh-" Before Naruto could finished what he was going to say, Sasuke had already stood and had grabbed Sakura by her arm and was dragging her outside the classroom, leaving their classmates to silently watch and speculate about what was happening.

XxXxXx

Sasuke pulled Sakura until they were standing by the windows outside their classroom door.

Sakura had a feeling he was going to confront her about what happened with the phone call with Itachi last time. She wasn't about to lie to her best friend.

"Sakura,"

She let out a breath. They both knew part of the reason why she had accepted that morning.

"What do you want me to say, Sasuke?"

He didn't answer for awhile. "Are you sure?"

Sakura offered him a small smile. "It's unfair, don't you think? Your brother can actually think that I am using you to forget about him."

Sasuke frowned. He couldn't agree more. "Hn,"

"You know that I love you, right?"

"Ah,"

"I would never hurt you like that. You are the brother I never had. You're a pain in the ass but I would never have you any other way."

Sasuke smirked. "It is a great opportunity."

"Yes, it is."

After a moment of silence between the two, Sasuke smirked and said, "Come back and prove my brother just what a fool he is."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle. "You'll write to me while I'm gone right?"

"No," Sasuke saw her face fall a little and her eyes narrow. He couldn't help but smirk. "That's what Skype and LINE are for, idiot."

She started laughing again as she shook her head. Sasuke opened his arms as she walked towards him, "Thanks, Sasuke. Demo, do you think this is enough to make sure your fan club stays away from you while I'm gone?"

Their position was very compromising and they knew rumors were about to fly about. Neither of them cared.

"Hn, those rabid girl never learn." It brought about another bout of giggles from the pink-haired girl.

XxXxXx

As Sakura sat on the plane taking her to California, her thoughts went to the people she left behind. Sasuke, Ino, and Naruto had brought her to the airport with her parents.

When Sakura's parents left them by the gate, Ino took Sakura's hands and said, "There's a surprise waiting for you when you get there."

"Surprise?" Sakura's eyebrow went up. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Forehead. It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you." Ino retorted.

Sasuke approached and laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder. When she turned to look at him, he gave her a card. "For emergencies."

Sakura opened the envelop and was surprised to see a credit card with her name on it. Her mouth hung open. "What-"

"When my mother learned about your exchange student program and it's duration, she went to the bank and got one for you."

"But this is too much," Sakura still couldn't believe what she had been given.

Sasuke snorted. "My mother likes you more than us, her children."

Sakura frowned and pouted. "That's an exaggeration. You know it."

"It's no secret that, 'kaa-san longed to have a daughter but got two sons instead."

"Okay. Please thank your mom for me. I'll call you once I get settled so I can thank her properly. It is only for emergencies so it wouldn't be too bad." Sakura said. The last part was more to convince herself to accept the generous gift. No one would ever do it but Mikoto was part of the wealthy and noble Uchiha family. She shouldn't have been too surprised.

"You'll be back before graduation, right?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I'll be back by the start of summer next year."

"… _ **JAL flight 741 from Narita International to Los Angeles**_ _**is now boarding on Gate 3…"**_

"That's me," Sakura said as she hoisted her backpack higher. She saw her parents approaching.

"You got everything you need, sweetheart?" Her father asked.

Sakura nodded as she took a step and hugged her parents one more time. It would be her first time to be away from her parents for a very long time. It was a bit scary and the little girl in her wanted to change her mind and stay within her mother's warm embrace and her father's protective arms. But she had made this decision on her own. She made it for her. She knew she had to do it.

XxXxXx

Itachi threw his keys on the table as he entered his dark apartment. Pulling at his necktie, he then shrugged his suit jacket off and laid it at the back of his couch.

He headed to the kitchen and turned on his coffee maker. As he waited for his coffee, he hit the answering machine nearby. He noticed that he had at least 5 messages. He held some hope that one of those would be from Sakura. He had tried calling her but she never seemed to answer. He had left messages and had only received one text message from her, _"I'm sorry, Itachi-san. I can't really answer right now. A lot of things are going on. Hope you are well_ _"_

It had been more than a week already. He hadn't heard from her since.

That simple message had caused a huge fight between Itachi and Risa.

 _Risa had turned heated eyes to him. They had been lounging at her apartment It had been more than a week since they had gotten back from Konoha. Ever since the incident with Sasuke, Itachi never felt the urge to touch Risa sexually or otherwise. He had silently been observing her actions since then._

 _She didn't act any different from when she was before when she was with him. But Itachi noticed that she was different when she was with other people. He wondered why he didn't notice sooner._

 _Shisui's words echoed through his head after they had a candid talk one afternoon after class._ _ **"Risa is great, sure. I'm even sure she's great in bed. If you are only looking for a physical outlet, Itachi, she's perfect. Had a one-night stand with her once. Imagine my surprise when I found out a couple of days later that she's your girl friend. She's driven and smart with business from what I heard but I believe she loves playing the field too much."**_

" _What is this, Itachi?" She asked._

 _Itachi looked towards her, not saying anything. Risa showed him his phone screen, clearly showing the message from Sakura and the list of calls he had. Not saying anything, Itachi simply took his phone from her._

" _Is she your brother's girl friend?"_

" _Hn," After what happened the previous weekend, he wasn't sure anymore what relationship his brother and Sakura had._

" _What's her business sending you messages then? Why all the phone calls?" Risa asked. She couldn't help the jealousy that was coursing through her veins._

" _Hn," Itachi wasn't really in the mood to answer. As far as he was concerned, Risa didn't have anything to do with Sakura's relationship to him and his family._

 _Risa's eyes narrowed. "Oh I get it. She isn't content with one Uchiha brother so she's trying her luck with the older one."_

 _This time, it was Itachi's turn to narrow his eyes. He didn't like what Risa was implying. Sakura was like a sister to him. He cared about her as much as he did his little brother._

" _Watch what you are saying, Risa. Jealousy is unbecoming."_

 _Risa gave a mirthless laugh. "You're in love with her too, aren't you Itachi? Must be great to be that little whore, catching the Uchiha brothers."_

 _Itachi had stood up, angry. He trapped Risa against the couch and said in a low, serious voice that had a hint of steel to it, "You are not to call her a whore. Sakura is worth more than you ever will be. I should have done this a long time ago. Don't bother contacting me. From this moment, I will have nothing to do with you."_

 _As he spoke, Itachi could see the emotions that played in Risa's expression. From fear to annoyance to desperation. He ignored it all as he straightened and left without a backward glance._

" _Itachi!" Risa called out when she finally found her voice. She knew that she was going to lose him if she let him walk out her door. She scrambled from the couch and attached herself to his arm, "Itachi, please. Don't."_

 _Itachi firmly, while trying to be gentle, removed her hands from his person. He didn't acknowledge her plea. He simply continued on his way. That was the last time he talked with her._

The aroma of coffee started to permeate the air in his kitchen. The first message started to playback.

" **Hey Itachi. There's a new bar-"** Hearing Shisui's opening message, he already knew what was coming next. He immediately pressed delete.

" **10: 35 a.m. Good day to you. I am calling in behalf of the L.S. Corporation. We are pleased to inform you that you have been shortlisted for the internship program. Details for the schedule have been sent to you via email. Please confirm as soon as possible. Thank you."**

" **11:30 a.m. Are you looking for a good and stable cable service? We-"** He didn't even bother to finish the recording. He never did like telemarketing, even though he understood from a business marketing point of view.

" **2:45 p.m. Itachi, how are you, my dear? With Silver week next month, will you be free? Your father and I have been talking and it would be nice if we could have a family trip. We are thinking of having a trip outside the country. Please call me when you are free so we can talk about it some more."** His mother's voice always brought a smile to his face. No matter what age he and Sasuke got, his mother always made sure that they still had family time.

The plan did sound good. If he talked with his boss, he could have a break from his part-time job at the same time school breaks for Silver week.

" **5:00 p.m. Aniki, I just brought Sakura to the airport. Her plane had just left. She wanted me to tell you that she's sorry that she couldn't say goodbye to you properly."**

Itachi couldn't help but feel stunned at Sasuke's message. _Sakura left?_ Without another thought, Itachi got retrieved his cell phone from his suit jacket and dialed his brother's number.

It rang twice, thrice before Sasuke picked up. "I got your message." He said without preamble.

"Ah,"

"Where is she going?"

"She was chosen to be part of an exchange student program to California. She will be there for a year." Sasuke answered. He knew that Sakura didn't mind if he told Itachi the reason why se left.

Itachi was silent for a while. He couldn't understand why he felt a tug at his heart. Sakura usually those kinds of news to him at the first opportunity she got. Now, he was finding out the new things about her from his brother.

"That is a great opportunity for her."

"Ah," Sasuke had a feeling his brother was confused. He knew the older man will never admit it though. Following his gut, he said, "She doesn't hate you, you know. She never did."

Itachi contemplated on what his brother had said. Before he could say anything, his brother added, "She promised to stay in touch during her stay there. She will talk with you when she is ready."

"Ah," Itachi paused. "I also got a message from mother saying that she and father are planning an out-of-country trip next month for Silver week."

"Hn, knowing 'kaa-san, it could be anywhere. But I have a feeling that she will want to go to the US." Sasuke smirked. "Are you coming?"

"Ah,"

(to be continued…)


	7. Chapter 7

**REMEMBER**

 **A/N: Okay, with the limited chapters that I have left, I just want to say, thank you to every one who was patient enough to accompany me with this journey. Again, thank you, CatalinaG, for pointing out grammar mistakes. Don't worry. I'm so like you and I will re-do and edit these chapters as soon as I finish the story and have the time. Actually, I'm looking for a beta and haven't gotten around to look. Please recommend me one if you know one. Thanks.**

 **vwinck,** **Muito obrigado porseuscomentários ! Euamo o seuidioma ,Português, e eurealmenteestoutentandoaprender. Obrigado porreverusandoestalinguagemparaqueeupossapraticar a leitura . Deus abençoe.**

 **Chapter 7**

 _Itachi waited patiently for his wife to finish dressing up. It was that time of year again for the annual ball the Uchiha corp. always throws. Sakura's parents were taking care of the twins over night while they attended with Itachi's parents. It would be the first time Sasuke would be missing the ball ever since he officially joined the company as he was in Europe attending to contracts with potential clients._

 _It would be Sakura's first formal engagement since giving birth. She had confided in him that she worried about her figure. She had called herself as having a 'mommy body' and said her body wasn't as it used to be before she got pregnant with the twins._

 _Itachi had simply wrapped his arms around her and said, "You are beautiful, Sakura. I personally love the changes your body took because it was to nurture the growth of our children. Besides, you have always been small. You did not change too much."_

" _Well, you're biased."_

 _Itachi had smirked at her and kissed her forehead. "I am entitled to be biased."_

 _Sakura grumbled before burying herself against her husband's chest. "If you weren't so good looking I wouldn't even bother." She mumbled, causing him to laugh._

" _As far as I am concerned, you are perfect." He whispered._

 _She burrowed herself against him further. "Hold me." It was a request that he was more than willing to fulfill._

 _As he fixed his bow tie, Itachi smirked at the memory. Sakura had always had lingering insecurities with how she viewed herself after the childhood she had. As much as she had learned to love herself and be confident about it, she still had bouts where the insecurities ran high. As her husband, he took pleasure in showing her how unfound her insecurities were._

 _The door to the bathroom softly opened behind him. Instinctively, he turned to look and then froze. If he were any other man, his jaw would have dropped at the sight that greeted him._

 _His wife stood there in an emerald satin gown. It was lace from the waist up with a nude under lining. It had cup sleeves and a scoop neckline. The perfect A-line silhouette highlighted the curves that Itachi loved._

 _Sakura had fixed her hair in soft curls on one side. Her make-up was minimal from what her husband could tell. She had used a bronze shade to high light her cheek bones and a nude lipstick. She had made her eyes dramatic by opting for a smoky eye make-up. It brought out Itachi's favorite feature on her, her luminous emerald eyes._

" _How do I look?" Her soft question drifted towards him as she twirled slowly for him. The dress was backless._

 _As she completed the turn and met eyes with her husband, she could see the darkening of his eyes. She could clearly see the passion and the want enter his vision. It sent goose bumps throughout her body._

 _Sleek as a panther, Itachi crossed the room and took possession of her lips. It grew heated but both broke off knowing that they would have to be leaving soon._

" _Perfect,"_

 _If she could only see herself through his eyes, perhaps she wouldn't feel even an ounce of insecurity. But that was one thing he loved about her. Sakura was confident with herself, never boasted or trying to be more than what came naturally. Her bouts of self-doubt were endearing only because he was more than happy to prove her wrong._

 _Itachi's one-worded response wasn't really needed as Sakura had gotten more with just a gaze. She smiled up at him and headed to their dresser. She took out the gold chandelier earrings her mother had gifted her. Before she could wear her wedding ring, Itachi had gotten it and placed it on her finger, just as he did on the day they got married. He lifted her hand and placed a gentle kiss on it, eyes never leaving Sakura's._

 _Never would Itachi doubt that he had chosen well in Sakura. No one would ever make him feel, bring him to his knees as Sakura did. How he had allowed himself to think he could build a life with another, he would never understand. Given that he had lost his memory, still, the feelings his wife evoked in him was far more than Mika ever made him feel. Looking at his beloved, he could clearly remember when he first started to see her as a woman and no longer a little girl._

XxXxXx

Sakura was surprised to find out that her host family in California was Ino's relatives. Ino's aunt and her two teenage daughters were the ones to welcome her at the airport.

She knew Ino had a hand in it somehow. _"Thanks, Ino-pig."_

Mina, Ino's aunt, had been living in the United States ever since she had finished university. Both her daughters had been born and raised in America. Sakura had met them before when they visited Ino and her family back home.

Mina was waving at her as she caught sight of the pink-haired girl. "Welcome, to Los Angeles, Sakura-chan." She said.

"Thank you, Mina-san. When Ino told me that there was a surprise waiting for me when I got here, never would I have thought that it would be all of you."

Ana and Emi approached Sakura and gave her a hug. Mina motioned for their chauffeur, Bob, to gather Sakura's bags as Ana said, "Welcome to the US, Sakura. You'll be attending our school. We will be starting in two weeks. I think they managed to give you the same schedule as Emi."

"That would be great." Sakura answered, as she followed them towards the car.

As they headed to the house, Sakura started, "Um, if it isn't too much to ask, I would like to practice my English while I'm here."

" _That's an excellent idea, Sakura."_ Ana replied.

" _Don't worry. By the end of your exchange student program, you'd be speaking like an American."_ Emi pitched in.

" _That is nice. Ah, eto, practice…eto ne…difficult speaking."_ Sakura tried. She blushed. She knew that her conversational skills in English were almost non-existent.

Mina, who had only been listening up until that point, finally spoke up, _"I think some additional English classes would do you well. What do you say, Sakura."_

Did she understand right? "Eh? Did I understand correctly? Additional English classes?" Sakura said under her breath. She hadn't meant to voice out her thoughts out loud.

As Sakura was formulating what she was going to say in English, Mina laughed. _"Yes, that's correct. Once get to the house, I'm going to look for a tutor for you."_

" _Maybe you could also look for a tutor in French, mom. I have French this year and if we have the same schedule, she might have to attend that class?"_ Emi suggested.

"French?"

Emi turned to Sakura and nodded. _"I have French this year. But since you are an exchange student, I think it is okay if you don't want to attend that."_

Sakura tilted her head to the side. _"Sorry…but…can you say one more time? Slowly?"_

"Sorry. I said that I have French this year. I think you can change your subject because you are an exchange student."

"Oh. But I want to challenge myself. I've always wanted to learn French. I actually want to learn a few more. I'll ask my dad if I could enroll."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. I've already talked with your parents before you came here. They gave a go-signal to enroll you in anything you want, given you don't do anything reckless like drugs, alcohol, or get pregnant."

Sakura couldn't help blushing, causing the other ladies inside the car to laugh. "Um, sure. Uh…yes, English and French lessons would be great."

"Our house keeper, Maria, speaks Spanish and a little English. She taught me enough Spanish to help me pass my elective last year." Ana confessed.

"Really? Spanish? I think I'm up for the challenge. Like I said, I've always found languages fascinating. I want to learn."

"Alright then. Let's start with English and French. Maria wouldn't mind teaching you. So at home, we are only going to speak in English and I'm going to tell Maria to only talk to you in Spanish. How does that sound?"

A huge smile crossed Sakura's face. "That sounds great!"

XxXxXx

"Okay, spill." Ana said as she sat and hugged a throw pillow from the bed. Sakura had just finished unpacking her stuff and getting ready for bed when the two sisters entered her room.

"Ino said something about a boy as to why you suddenly accepted the exchange student program." Emi added.

Sakura let out a sigh and quietly counted to ten. She made a mental note to kill Ino when she got back. She shouldn't have shared what Itachi had said about her and Sasuke. But knowing Ino, she would have pestered her until she caved.

From the looks of it, Sakura knew that Ino's cousins weren't very different. It seemed like they were prepared to stay in her room the entire night until they were satisfied with her answer.

 _Screw it._ Sakura decided to tell them everything, from her feelings towards Itachi, how she inadvertently confessed to him, her insecurities, and to what made her run to the United States.

After the long speech, both sisters were looking at Sakura with wide eyes. "Do you have a picture of Itachi?" Ana couldn't resist asking.

Without much thought, Sakura took out her phone and started to scroll through the pictures she had of home. She picked the one that was taken just before things got weird between them.

It was one of her favorite pictures. It was taken during lunch at her and Sasuke's school. Since Itachi's high school was right beside the junior high she and Sasuke attended, Itachi and Shisui had decided to have lunch with the two.

Sakura was the one in the middle, in between the Uchiha brothers. Sasuke had his arms crossed in front of his chest, giving a small grin. Itachi had his arm around Sakura's shoulder, his hand clasping Sasuke's shoulder. Sakura grinned at the memory. Itachi had done it to make sure his brother was part of the picture.

She had fought off the blush but failed miserably. She was feeling the tingling normal for a school-girl crush at that time. She made V's with her fingers.

Shisui was being his crazy self at their back.

Ana and Emi squealed when they saw the picture. Ana started fanning herself and said, "You are so my new best friend. You are surrounded by hot men!"

On cue, Sakura felt her cheeks grow warm. Both sisters couldn't help but laugh at the pink-haired girl's reaction.

"So which one is your Itachi?" Emi asked.

"He's not my Itachi." Sakura immediately denied. Ignoring the "yeah right" comments from both sisters, Sakura pointed to the right one. "This is Itachi. He's always had long hair."

Both sisters became quiet. After a moment more, Ana said, "Girl, we are so doing a makeover!"

"A makeover!" Emi squealed and started jumping up and down in excitement. "We are going to make you so pretty that when he sees you again, he's going to kick himself so hard to being stupid!"

Sakura's jaw dropped. She felt like she found herself in an alternate universe. She wasn't sure if it was really happening. Ino had always dragged her into a lot of shopping trips and even suggested a makeover once in a while, but Sakura had always enough blackmail material against Ino to prevent her from doing anything 'drastic'. She should have known that her cousins pretty much shared the same wavelength with Ino.

She resisted face palming herself. In that split second, she told herself to just go with it. She was in America. She left, perhaps it was cowardice of her, to deal and attempt to push Uchiha Itachi out of her system. It was obvious that the older man would never see her as more than a friend, a little sister.

Regardless of the fact that Sakura might regret her next words in the future, she said, "Fine. Do your worse."

XxXxXx

It had been a rough couple of weeks for Sakura. It was hard enough adjusting to speaking a language she had no confidence speaking to starting two others from scratch. On top of it all, Emi and Ana were totally unforgiving. When they told her 'makeover', they truly meant business and every single detail was scrutinized and improved after much debate on the limit Sakura was going to allow them to change without sacrificing who she really was.

XxXxXx

The trip abroad didn't push through as there was a sudden emergency at Uchiha Corp. that Fugaku and Mikoto couldn't leave. Sasuke had opted to join a summer training camp for his club. Itachi had decided to stay at his apartment instead of heading home to the Uchiha main house.

It was a boring day to say the least. He had finished his homework and wasn't due at his part-time job for another day. Itachi wasn't in the mood to go out or socialize.

It was a Friday and when his mother called earlier in the day, he made the mistake of informing her that he didn't have any plans over the weekend. Mikoto had insisted that he head home.

Rubbing his face in frustration, Itachi got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. Without thinking about it, he opened the fridge and started checking what he had. He wasn't in the mood for take out. Annoyed at the almost bare state of his fridge, he closed the door and made quick run down of the things that he needed to restock in his kitchen.

As he was browsing through the aisles, Itachi eventually found himself at the baking section. After aforethought, he decided that he would bake himself a cake, a chocolate cake. Itachi couldn't help but remember Sakura as he gathered everything he needed. It has been Sakura who had taught him the recipe he had in mind.

He could remember that it was their shared love for sweets that started their tradition of finding the newest, delicious pastry or dessert. Since Sasuke didn't like sweets, the two of them compromised and soon the tradition included different restaurants.

Sakura would then try to recreate the dish with her mother. She would share the labor with him. The recipe he was thinking though had been different. It was a cake that Sakura had seen on the internet when she was bored and home alone one weekend and tried it. She loved it so much that she had called Itachi and asked him to come.

At first, Itachi had been exasperated. He had just finished club practice and couldn't wait to go home when his phone rang. Sakura had been adamant and wouldn't take no for an answer. He chose to indulge her request.

When he took his first bite, he had understood why Sakura had wanted him to try. Sakura had teased him how his eyes lit up and how his demeanor changed with that one bite but he had just laughed it off.

It was soft, gooey and full of chocolate. It was the perfect cake for a chocoholic like them. Itachi had demanded that she teach him the recipe. So, the whole weekend, he spent learning it. The final product, they had brought back to the Uchiha household and shared it with the family.

As he baked in his small kitchen, Itachi could admit to himself that he missed those days with Sakura. It all changed when she confessed to him. He liked her, yes, but he knew he didn't return her feelings, not like that. The closest definition to what he felt towards her could be the affections to a little sister.

Perhaps he had been out of line to question her and Sasuke's relationship. He only wanted to look out for the two of them. He wanted it to be real, not a means for them to use each other.

Ever since she went to the States, he hasn't been able to have any form of contact with her. The one time Itachi went home after she left, Sasuke had extended her greetings.

It seemed that those two still talked based on his brother's stories. Itachi didn't have the number she's using there. The messages and greetings he sent via social media were answered with a work or short sentences only. Unlike in the past, she never started their conversations anymore.

The vacation he and his family were supposed to have was supposed to be his attempt to make it right. Although nothing was stopping him from going to America, Itachi knew that if he pushed too hard, he would end up pushing her away from him more than he already had. He simply had to wait for the right time.

XxXxXx

Before any one knew it, a year passed and it was summer again. Itachi had driven back home after his last exams in the morning. The combination of the long drive and the heat drained much of his energy.

When he arrived, Itachi was surprised that his greetings the moment he entered the house was met by silence. He explored the house and as he passed the living room, that's when he heard the noise coming from the pool.

He opened the door and froze at the site of a girl, no, woman with shoulder length pink hair. She was wearing a white bikini with a green sarong. She was talking animatedly with his brother's other friends, Ino and Naruto.

 _Sakura._

To be continued…

A/N: Happy New Year! So sorry that it took me forever to upload. It's hard finding time to write. Anyway, I kept this chapter shorter than the rest because I have the habit of making the last chapter of my stories the longest, and the second to the last chapter usually I keep all the suspense in. Please review though. I would really, really like to hear from you. Thank you for reading until this far.

Michiko


	8. Chapter 8

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To everybody who read but wasn't able to drop a message, thank you guys so much!

Michiko

Chapter 8

 _It was late into the night. Itachi was still awake. He turned to his wife. She was in deep sleep, exhausted. There had been an emergency at the hospital. There had been a huge accident and with Sakura being one of the top doctors, she had been running all over the place all day._

 _Itachi had made sure that he came home before her. He took charge of the twins and dinner, hoping to ease his wife's burden. Although he too had a full day of work, coming home to the twins took most of his tiredness away. Watching the surprise on Sakura's face that quickly turned to love when she got home, it made Itachi's day even better. Sakura had walked up to him and gave him a deep kiss before she turned to deliver kisses to the two little ones._

 _Sakura had insisted on doing the dishes but being the stubborn man that he was, Itachi had managed to convince her that they work together._

 _Itachi considered himself a lucky man to have the life he shared with his wife. But he couldn't help but reflect on a lot of things, especially since the anniversary of their accident and the birth and death of their first-born was coming up._

XxXxXx

"Sakura,"

Even if it was said in a soft voice, Sakura was still able to sense the call. She stilled before facing the open veranda doors. Sure enough, she saw Itachi standing there. She smiled in greeting, alerting her other three companions to the new arrival.

Itachi saw her stiffen and then she turned towards him. He felt his insides jump. His breath caught in his throat, especially when he saw how her eyes softened and a smile spread across her lips, directed at him. There was something different about her.

"Itachi-san,"

He gave a nod at his brother and then at the other two before looking back at Sakura, whom he noticed was walking towards him.

"Is it okay if we talk?" She said as she was close enough to be only heard by him.

He gave her a nod before he nodded once more in the general direction of his brother. He then allowed Sakura to proceed him back into the house. Neither said anything until they reached the foyer.

"Knowing those three, we will probably have an audience listening in." Sakura whispered jokingly. There was a playful glint in her eyes that Itachi missed seeing.

Itachi lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "Where do you suggest we go then?"

Sakura laughed and shook her head. "The kitchen. Your mom is at the store buying for tonight's dinner. I promised that I'd start thawing the meat before she comes home. Plus I left some muffins in the oven, thought you might like some while they are hot and before Naruto gets through them."

Once inside the kitchen, Sakura headed over the oven and took out a rack of freshly baked muffins and laid them in the counter to cool. She then took out the meat from the freezer and placed it in a bowl by the sink.

Itachi watched her work the kitchen like she used to. It brought back a lot of memories. "How are you, Sakura? I can see that you are alright but how are you really?"

Sakura didn't answer right away. She had taken a dessert plate and placed a muffin in it before facing Itachi once more, walking towards him. She let out a breath and replied, "I'm fine, Itachi-san. But I really would liko to apologize. I know I acted in an immature way but it really did hurt, you know. I thought you knew me better than that. If not me, Sasuke."

It was Itachi's turn to let out a quiet sigh. He made sure that he had eye contact with her. "I apologize too."

A moment of silence ran between them, neither dropping eye contact. Things were being said without words and they understood. Sakura couldn't help give him a smile. She then offered the plate.

"Peace offering. Here, perfected it while I was there."

Itachi lifted an eyebrow and looked at the muffin. It looked light and fluffy. Without preamble, he took a bite. His eyes widened a bit once the flavor rushed through his taste buds. There was a warm, not-too-sweet cream inside that had a touch of cinnamon inside. His eyes flew to Sakura who was smiling at him.

"Like it?" She joked.

"You do know that you have to teach me this recipe now, right?"

Her tinkling laugher filled the kitchen as she turned back to the rack and started taking out the muffins, placing them in a serving platter. "Well, you're in luck. Since I'm sure this batch is going to be finished before dinner, I've come prepared. I'll be making another one later. You think you could give me a hand?"

"Ah,"

She nodded without turning to him. "I suggest getting another one before I bring these out. You're free to join us if you want."

Without another word, Itachi headed to where she was and gathered the serving platter from her and moved to head outside, stunning Sakura.

"By the way," He said. He looked back at her and added, "You look beautiful." It prompted her to blush. Itachi smirked and said, "It's nice to see you again."

XxXxXx

At dinner that night, it was like a mini-party with all the Uchihas, Harunos, Ino and Naruto. When Mikoto had arrived with Mebuki in tow, the teenagers decided that they should change out of the wet garments. Everybody aside from Naruto and Sasuke helped around the kitchen.

"Have you thought of what you are going to take for university, Sakura?" Fugaku suddenly asked. He may not admit it out loud but having the girl grow up in his household made him think of her as a daughter as well.

Sakura swallowed first before turning to the Uchiha patriarch. Her parents already know the change in her plans, which they have given their blessing. "Oh, I am taking the accelerated medical course at Tokyo University. I've already acquired credits for one semester in LA under Senju Tsunade."

Most of the people on the table were stunned. Sakura's parents exuded pride at their daughter. They were all well aware of who Tsunade was.

"Wouldn't it be better to continue under Tsunade in LA?" Mikoto asked.

"Tsunade Shishou got a call to head Tokyo Medical Center. She agreed to head the hospital and the medical school. That's why she made me take all the necessary entrance exams while in LA and what not."

"So you've been starting college while you were a high school exchange student?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Sakura replied sheepishly as she took another bite of her dinner.

"Wait! How'd you have time to do all that? From what my cousins told me, you went to school, had extracurricular activities with them, and foreign language classes." Ino commented.

"Tsunade Shishou is a very busy person. I would spend my Sunday with her for actual, hands-on stuff. Three times a week I would spend 3 hours with her for lessons and exams. It wasn't so bad."

"I'll be going to Tokyo U, too." Sasuke said.

"Oh cool!" Sakura answered.

"You want to share apartment? It's either you or the dobe."

Sakura couldn't help the laugh as with the others around the table with Naruto's indignant, "hey!" She knew the unsaid message there.

"Sure, Sasuke. I actually found one already but it's only enough for one person so we have to look right away. Tsunade Shishou wants me to start my internship a week after graduation."

"You can use the Uchiha penthouse." Fugaku offered, drawing the attention of everybody on the table. "It is in a building owned by the Uchiha, near the main office. I believe it is only a train ride to the university."

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other. "What do you think?" She asked.

Itachi had kept silent through the conversation so far. He was stunned and proud of what Sakura had accomplished in the year that she had been away. To be honest, he wasn't that surprised that his father would offer the penthouse to his brother and Sakura. He had been offered the same penthouse when he went to university. He had simply bought his own apartment after graduation, just before he started his graduate studies.

"You paid down already?" He heard his brother ask to which Sakura had shook her head. Sasuke nodded in reply. Just like that, Sakura and Sasuke would be sharing an apartment through university.

XxXxXx

That evening, Sasuke snuck out. As he was walking, his phone signaled a new message.

" _Are you sure we made the right decision in accepting to live at the penthouse?"_

Sasuke sighed and pressed call. Just with the tone of her message, he knew that it would be better to call. "Sakura," She had ansered after two rings.

"Sasuke,"

"What are you really thinking?"

Sakura was silent for a moment. "It's just…well…do you think your parents are going to be offended if I offer to pay rent? Don't say anything! I know, I know…it's stupid since it is a prime lot and even if I work several part-time jobs with school I wouldn't be able to afford it but-"

"Sakura, you're being annoying."

He heard her huff at the other end. "Shh! This is important, you! I mean, one of us has to be smart and be an adult."

Sasuke snorted. "My parents aren't going to take your money. They'll be offended at you for even thinking it."

"You're right," Sakura answered, a little deflated.

"Why don't we offer to pay for food and everything else aside from the rent? Would you feel better? That's what aniki did."

"Oh, that would be cool."

"Speaking of aniki-"

"Wait!" He could hear a lot of movement from Sakura's end. "Okay, there. Go. You were saying something about Itachi-san?"

"What are you doing?"

"Apparently I forgot to adjust the time on my tab to Japan time. My alarms are going off wrong. Anyway, you were saying?"

"And here I was thinking that you were avoiding the topic," He replied rather flatly.

Sakura was silent for a moment. "You know, to be honest, I just want a fresh start, you know? Itachi-san will always be special to me, just like you. I did some thinking during my stay in the US."

Sasuke stopped walking. He didn't expect that answer. "What do you mean?"

"I've let him go, Sasuke."

Sasuke stilled. Never in the year that she had been away did she mention anything in this nature. He wasn't sure how he should feel.

"The last time really hurt. If he could imply that I would do that to you, to him, to me…he simply doesn't know me as well as I thought. I know he didn't outright say that I'm going from one brother to the other, but-"

"I know what you mean."

"Like I said, he will always be special to me but I deserve more."

Sasuke understood more than at what she wasn't saying. "You're annoying,"

Sakura's twinkling laughter reached him from the other end of the line. "Love you too,"

"I'm thinking of heading to the penthouse tomorrow to check it out. You want to come?"

"Sure."

"See you tomorrow."

XxXxXx

Sakura entered the penthouse. She just came from a grueling graveyard shift. It was already past 8 in the morning. She knew that Sasuke had already left as he had class at the exact same time.

She was dead tired. It had been months since she and Sasuke had moved in together. Since they knew each other's quirks, it didn't take too much adjustment on both their parts. But one thing they did agree upon, if there were going to bring their dates home for some 'quality' time, neither was bringing them to the penthouse. Simple dinners and get-togethers were no problem but they both flat out agreed that there wasn't going to be any overnight activities.

Sakura knew that Sasuke was good looking and of course he was as hormonal as any other male, well she hoped. So, she wouldn't be surprised if he attracted a lot of women in university. But the idea of having a glimpse of his sex life was enough to give her hives. She loved him but she didn't love him enough to have a strong stomach to hear it for herself while she was cramming medical jargon.

On the other hand, Sasuke was aware that there was something in Sakura that changed when she came back. Aside from the obvious, he knew there was this confidence in her about her femininity that wasn't there before she left for the States. It was that subtle change that had the men around her stand up in attention. He saw it all the time when they went out together. He would glare at any one who even looked at her direction. He knew that Sakura was a big girl who could take care of herself, hell she could even beat those guys worse than he would but that doesn't stop his protective instincts.

He wasn't stupid to believe that she wouldn't be accepting dates, especially after she confessed that she had moved on from his brother. But like her, he wouldn't like to know anything about her sex life. He saw her too much as a sister to think anything else. The thought made him green.

As Sakura made her way towards her room, the doorbell rang. Let out a sigh, she dropped her bag just on the inside of her doorway and headed back towards the door.

When she opened the door, she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not but Itachi was there standing at the front door at 8:00 in the morning of a weekday. Her confusion must have reflected on her face as she saw Itachi smile at her and lifted his hand. His eyes looked to what he put up and couldn't help but smile when he saw that he brought what seemed to be coffee and freshly baked treats from the bakery at the next block.

"Good morning, Sakura."

"Morning, Itachi-san. I must say that it is a surprise." She said as she stepped aside and allowed him in.

"I was here earlier."

"Oh! Um, can I offer you anything?"

Itachi shook his head and lead her to the living room. "You are dead on your feet. Let me. Unless, your tastes have changed, I bought your favorite. French vanilla and chocolate covered croissant." He had the pleasure of seeing Sakura's delight when she learned what he had gotten her.

"Ah, you are spoiling me, Itachi-san." She said as he handed her the hot drink. She couldn't help but take in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent. As Itachi continued to remove his purchases on the table, Sakura said, "Not that I am not grateful and my date orientation might already be screwed, Itachi-san, but it is a weekday, right?"

Itachi took his own drink and sat beside Sakura. "I came from a business trip early. I do not need to be in the office until tomorrow."

"Hmm," Was the answer that he received as he watched her take her first sip. She couldn't help the moan that came from her. After a long shift and studying, a sip from her favorite drink was like a slice of heaven.

"I also wanted to see you."

Sakura felt her insides still. Itachi never came to see her unless they both agreed upon meeting or him warning her before hand. "I know I'm sleepy but I think I heard you say that you wanted to see me. Is there something wrong?"

"You could say that,"

That seemed to wake up Sakura. Her mind raced. Itachi was one who never admitted on feeling something, especially sickness. It made her worried what could possibly had afflicted him. She made a quick survey from head to toe. There didn't seem anything wrong. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Itachi didn't speak right away. He didn't plan to tell her about his thoughts. He really only planned to speak with his brother that morning but when he learned that Sakura was going to come from a night shift, he couldn't help but get her something. His brother also mentioned that he and Sakura were in the middle of exam week and knowing Sakura, she would be working harder than usual.

Also, when he had asked Sasuke earlier how Sakura was, he couldn't explain the sudden squeeze he felt in his heart. His brother had told him that Sakura had become popular amongst university boys. He wasn't surprised with how attractive she had become. An unexplainable emotion coursed through him when he learned that Sakura had been receptive of the advances of the men around her.

When she had returned from the States, he had noticed the subtle change she underwent. Since then, she had continued to blossom. Their friendship also grew since the olive leaf that was extended to each other. But it only remained like that, friendship. He did have conflicting feelings since seeing her again after she came back. It only grew to stark clarity when his brother had told him the things he did that morning. Sakura had been brave to admit her feelings to him all those years ago. He figured that she deserved the same courage to admit his feelings.

"I cannot seem to get you out of my mind for the reason that I am attracted to you."

Sakura almost dropped her cup in disbelief. She placed it on the table before she turned fully towards the man next to her. Her mouth seemed to run dry when she saw the seriousness and the desire in his eyes.

"Itachi-"

He reached out a hand and cupped her cheek. "I did not tell you my feelings in expectation that you would return them. I simply believed that-"

He couldn't say anymore as Sakura silenced him with a kiss. It only took him a moment of surprise before he returned it wholeheartedly. Before long, he took over and deepened the kiss. He could taste French vanilla combined with her unique taste. He knew he would grow addicted to it.

As it grew heated, Itachi started to slow the kiss. They had all the time in the world to explore things between the two of them. For now, he knew that he had to draw back with the satisfaction of knowing that now she was his.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream?" Sakura's breathless plea reached his ears.

Itachi pulled her against him and wrapped her in his embrace. "This is not a dream, Sakura."

Sakura, on her part, couldn't help the tears that slipped her eyes. "I have dreamt of this for years. After the disaster of our falling out, I knew it would never happen and I had to let you go. I really tried. I tried so hard to forget how I feel."

Itachi leaned back far enough to make her look up at him. He gently wiped her tears and smiled at her. "Stop crying. This is real. I promise you." He leaned and kissed her forehead before adding, "Now, why don't you finish your drink and eat a little before going to bed? I am sure you are tired."

Sakura smiled back and nodded.

That morning, they ended up talking and laughing as they finished their breakfast. As they talked, Sakura ended up falling asleep against Itachi. He didn't mind as he quickly learned that he loved the feel of her against him, resting after a long day. He gently maneuvered them so that they laid the full length of the couch. He made sure that she was comfortable. As he watched her sleep, his eyes closed and he too succumbed to dreamland. That was how Sasuke arrived to at noon. He took one look at their peaceful faces before he smirked and quietly headed out.

 _Finally._ He thought.

(to be continued…)

Okay so I know that it took me forever to update. Rather give you the usual excuses, I'd just like to apologize. Anyway, I really tried to squeeze everything in this chapter but I think that the certain highlights of their lives need more building up and exploration than rushing through to the end. So I've decided to extend this story for a few more chapters more. I hope I see you guys until the end. Thanks

Michiko


	9. Author's notes

**A/N:**

 **I'm so sorry guys! I know I haven't posted for several months, I think it's been almost a year since I've updated. But I've seriously been busy.**

 **When I finally had the time to write, I started to review the previous chapters of this story. Unfortunately, I find myself not satisfied with it. So…I decided…that in the next few days, I'll be starting to remove chapters and will be re-writing the story.**

 **Again, I'm really sorry for this turn out but not only have I lost heart on how to close this story originally, I'm finding the chapters lacking somehow.**

 **So…I hope to see you again from chapter 1. I will try to do this as speedy as I can but I have other ideas that I will be incorporating so yeah.**

 **See you guys soon!**

 **Michiko**


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